Pothole City - Updated 2025
As a road user, either via bike, motorcycle, van, car or any vehicle, you will more than likely be very aware of the dreadful state of the roads in the city. Since starting this petition a couple of years ago the issue has escalated with most roads in the city in a deplorable state.

The council are constantly stating they are aware of the state of the roads and yet very little action is taken that is seen to be effective.

Over the last few years  many potholes have appeared that cause unnecessary wear and tear to vehicles and will cause serious injury to cyclists. Even as a pedestrian you are in danger of being tripped by a pothole if you are crossing a road.

Additionally, driving with a damaged tyre would mean the the driver of the vehicle could be prosecuted, let alone the vehicle failing an MoT.

Driving on a motorway with a damaged tyre could be catastrophic.

With two tyres recently being ruined by a pothole and my vehicle being shaken around as if driving on cobblestones I know how bad the roads now are and the council must take action to rectify this.

All damaged roads, potholes and pavements should be reported via:

Brighton & Hove City Council - Report Road Damage

Brighton & Hove City Council are liable for injury and damage caused by neglected roads and a claim form can be downloaded from its website.

Be prepared to provide several documents and evidence to validate your claim including photographic evidence.

By signing this petition you are raising your concern with Brighton & Hove City Council and demanding that action is taken to repair the roads and an official statement to be provided.

You do not necessarily need to be a resident here as the city roads are open to everyone.

Listing Potholes Here

You can also provide details of damaged roads/potholes in the comments section which would be a useful additional information.

Presentation to Brighton & Hove City Council

If there are enough supporters of this petition then it will be presented to Brighton & Hove City Council.

From the Brighton & Hove City Council Website:

 Highway defects
Any potential hazards are called ‘defects.’ Defects on the roads, pavements and cycle lanes can include raised kerbs or paving, potholes, broken railings, missing slabs and so on.

All defects are investigated to see if they require a repair in accordance with government guidance. The government accepts that the highway cannot be completely smooth or defect-free.

This means that not every defect will be repaired. The Highway Inspection team will make decisions based on each individual problem, including size, depth, location and degree of risk to users.

So, a paving slab that is sticking high up into the air will get repaired once we know about it, but broken paving slabs that may look unsightly but still present a relatively smooth surface will not get replaced.

Potholes
Potholes occur where an area of the road's surface has broken up and fallen out.  

We know that potholes and defects may arise between our inspections, particularly in late winter and early spring.

Potholes are the most obvious form of defect on our roads.

Sometimes the word ‘pothole’ is used as a general term to mean any type of carriageway defects.

The definition of an actual pothole is a hole of sufficient diameter or length and depth to cause a significant hazard.  This means that it allows a vehicle tyre to drop into the hole and hit an opposing edge, causing damage to the tyre or wheel.

However, there are many other sorts of defects, like:

unevenness
minor or major crazing
road surface picking out
polishing
These are not potholes but our Highway Inspectors need to look at everything and decide whether and when a repair is warranted, depending on severity, location and other factors.

Repairs
Timescales for repairs will vary according to the severity of the defect. Orders will be raised for a contractor to repair within 2 hours, 24 hours, 7 days or 28 days, depending on the nature, location and type of problem.

Severe weather
During severe weather, such as very wet or very cold periods, the highway suffers from damage such as materials washing out or from trees being uprooted. In icy weather, a freeze-thaw action can cause the highway to expand and contract, with subsequent damage.

It is not always possible to get to every defect within the usual timescales, because of the amount of problems that arise all over the city’s roads. In these circumstances, we will prioritise the most urgent issues wherever possible.

https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/travel-and-road-safety/roads-and-highways/pavement-and-road-repairs

Additional General Information/Advice

If you hit a pothole it is important that you stop and assess any damage as quickly as you can.

Hitting a pothole at any speed can cause damage leading to tyre damage, wheel cracks, suspension damage having your wheel alignment out.

Make sure you check your tyres for cracks, lumps or bulges. When you hit a pothole the stress caused by the impact could result in tyre sidewall damage which shows itself as a bulge on the wall of the tyre. If you do spot this then it is important to get the tyre seen to as soon as possible as the damage could result in tyre failure and a blow-out while driving.

Each wheel should be inspected for signs of splits or dents in the rim. Additionally, if the steering wheel doesn’t ‘centre’ properly and there are ‘vibrations’ when you turn the steering wheel or go over bumps, it is important to get the car checked over as you could have a broken spring or shock absorber. If the steering seems to pull to one side and there is increased vibration coming through the steering wheel, the tracking may have been knocked. It is important to get this re-set as ignoring it can lead to severe tyre wear and higher fuel consumption. Additionally, your exhaust system will sound strange if it has been damaged.

Andrew Peters - Updated 01/02/2025