'Focus solely on potholes', council workers told

Council workers have been told to "focus solely" on pothole repairs as heavy rainfall continues to wreak havoc on the roads.

Eighteen parish stewards from across Wiltshire have been asked to join forces with the council's regular highways maintenance crews to combat road surface issues.

Councillor Martin Smith, Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for highways, said more than 2,700 potholes had been repaired by the council since the start of the year.

"Our teams are actively responding to residents' reports, and to boost this effort, we've asked our 18 parish stewards to focus solely on pothole repairs in their areas over the coming weeks," Smith said.

Parish stewards work from 4x4 vehicles across their area and carry out a range of tasks such as clearing vegetation from paths and roads, removing graffiti and cleaning and straightening road signs - as well as finding and fixing potholes.

They also respond to emergencies, including flooding, road closures, clearing roads after crashes, and removing storm-damaged trees.

"We've got a historic massive problem to reverse really," Smith told BBC Radio Wiltshire, explaining the road maintenance money councils were granted by central government had been "decreasing quite drastically in real terms" over the past 15 years.

"We're sort of better than most other councils in the country [at addressing potholes], but we still know that's not good enough," he said.

Issues with potholes typically worsen in winter when tiny cracks in the road surface – usually caused by traffic – allow water to seep in.

When that freezes, it expands and makes the cracks bigger. This is then exacerbated by further traffic, which can turn a crack into a hole.

The council maintains more than 5,000 miles (8,040km) of road, excluding the M4, A303 and A36, which are managed by National Highways.

Meanwhile in Swindon, work got under way earlier to resurface Westcott Place after the road developed severe issues with potholes.

The road will be closed between 08:00 GMT and 18:00 each day until Friday, and follows similar closures to deal with road surface issues on County Road, Aylesbury Street, sections of the B4192 (Aldbourne Road) and Bridge End Road.

The council said the ongoing rain alongside cold temperatures had taken its toll on the road network across the country, adding that the authority had already had more than 1,500 reports of road damage in 2025, with more than 2,300 repairs carried out.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Historic underinvestment has made it difficult for authorities to maintain their roads, and the average driver forks out nearly £320 to repair serious pothole damage."

They added that the South West as a whole would receive £1.5bn in funding over the next four years - with £161m going to Wiltshire Council - to help deal with potholes.

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