The average cost of fixing potholes on Somerset's road network has been revealed following a public question by a local councillor.
Somerset Council is responsible for maintaining Somerset's extensive road network, excluding the M5, A303 and A36 (which are managed by National Highways, formerly Highways England).
As well as ensuring new roads within housing estates are of a sufficient standard, the council devotes a significant amount of its highways budget to repairing and improving existing roads - whether through full-scale resurfacing, surface dressing during the summer months, or repairing individual potholes which are reported by residents.
The council has now divulged the average cost of fixing potholes following a public question by Councillor Diogo Rodrigues, who leads the Conservative opposition group on the council.
Mr Rodrigues (who represents the Bridgwater East and Bawdrip division) raised the issue when the full council met in Bridgwater before Christmas (the recording of which has only just been made public).
He asked: "What is the average cost to this authority of repairing a pothole?"
Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, responded it was difficult to provide an entirely reliable estimate due to the varying size and scale of potholes, along with the logistical challenges involved in their repair.
Mr Wilkins (who represents the Curry Rivel and Langport division) said: "The cost of repairing potholes varies significantly, depending on the size, depth and urgency, the location, whether traffic management is needed, and whether or not it's a machine-laid patch.
"There are multiple different types of potholes, but we've calculated that the average cost of repair between April and October 2025 as £123.32.
"This reduces to £98.63 when considering single pothole repairs."
Residents can report potholes or other local road issues by visiting www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/report-a-problem-on-the-road.
Mr Wilkins' response came shortly before the Department for Transport (DfT) launched its new 'scoring system' for local authorities, allowing taxpayers to see how well their council was spending government grants on road maintenance.
Somerset Council ranked highly under this new system, securing an 'amber' rating and finishing 26th out of 153 local authorities.
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The council scored 'green' on both the condition of its road network and its wider best practice, but 'red' on its spending measure, giving it an overall 'amber' score.
This 'red' score on spending comes despite the council being on track to spend 98 per cent of its annual DfT capital funding allocation by the end of the current financial year.
In 2025/26, the council is scheduled to resurface just more than 34 miles of road across Somerset, with nearly 115 miles being earmarked for preventative road treatments.
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