Potholes 'dangerous' for cyclists and motorcyclists

Potholes in Surrey and Sussex are "dangerous" for those who navigate the roads on two wheels, a group of road users have said.

Local councils in Surrey, West Sussex and East Sussex have acknowledged the issue, stating they are committed to improving conditions.

Stass Daniells, a biker who rides in the Dorking area, said she felt particularly "vulnerable" on two wheels.

"Potholes frighten me. If I hit a pothole, I'm likely to be thrown off the bike," she said.

Daniells added: "That not only risks damage to me as a rider, and the bike, but it also potentially risks an accident involving other people, and that's terrifying."

Philip Jones, who rides in the same group, said the condition of the roads was "infuriating".

"I've got a couple of friends that have been hospitalised in the last six months because of potholes. One was extremely serious," he said,

He said his friend had been in a coma for two months.

While Jones insisted the group would "not stop biking because of it", he said potholes were "just another thing to worry about".

Daniells said she believed this year had been "the worst".

"Almost every road that I ride, there's potholes," she added.

Matt Furniss, Surrey County Council cabinet member for highways, transport and economic growth, said: "We know how frustrating potholes are and we ask residents to bear with us while demand is so exceptionally high during this peak period.

"We've increased our normal number of repair crews by 100% and they are out on our 3,000 miles of roads working day and night to fix on average, 400 potholes every day."

Members of Angmering Cycling Club in West Sussex have shared similar frustrations about the roads.

Roger Saunders said: "They're dreadful. Everywhere you go there's a pothole.

"It's dangerous because we're weaving in and out, cars are coming towards you, and nobody has any room.

"You're never quite sure how deep they are."

The cyclist said that while one of the group ordinarily shouted "hole" to indicate an upcoming pothole, they were so ever-present that shouting out "road" may be more appropriate.

A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said there was an "increasing pressure" on the network of more than 2,500 miles of road.

"This financial year, the county council is investing £60.7m in maintaining and improving West Sussex's highways," they said.

"In the next 12 months alone, £40m will fund 238 schemes across the county, including 130 resurfacing and carriageway patching projects, with funding allocated to repairing damage caused by the recent flooding."

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said the authority understood residents' frustrations with the increasing number of "disruptive and inconvenient" potholes.

They said that 4,713 potholes repairs were raised in February, compared to 2,921 in February 2025.

The council said it had doubled the number of repair crews to 24 and was deploying the Roadmender polymer based carriageway patching system and spray applied patching to improve durability.

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