Bournemouth, Christchurch, Motoring & Transport, Poole | Posted on March 24th, 2026 | return to news

Potholes being tackled across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

BCP Council is micro-surfacing roads across the conurbation and is upgrading key routes and improving road crossings.

Potholes have been causing huge concerns for motorists following a wet winter; however, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council says it is working hard to provide safer, smoother roads.

Currently, 15 roads across the area, totalling 12km, are being micro-surfaced at a combined cost of just over £400,000.

In addition, BCP Council teams remain out on the roads fixing potholes.

Last year, BCP Council repaired 6,274 defects across the network — including potholes, footways and kerbs — and refreshed or replaced 1,586 road lines and signs.

Figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) released earlier this year placed road conditions across BCP as being in the top 20 per cent nationwide.

The condition of roads in BCP Council was rated ‘green’, the best rating the DfT gives, and better than roads in areas such as Southampton, Reading, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey.

Cllr Andy Hadley, BCP Council Cabinet member for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, said: “The most effective way to tackle potholes is to stop them forming in the first place. By carrying out proactive work such as preventative patching and resurfacing, we are providing smoother, safer journeys for everyone.

“Our teams work incredibly hard to maintain our roads and pavements, and we know this is one of the services residents value most, especially over a very wet winter. The workload has been intense for the team.

“We are upgrading key routes, improving road crossings, and modernising how we manage traffic flow across the network.

“Of course, potholes will still occur from time to time, and when they do, we need residents to report them via the council website so our teams can respond quickly and put things right.”

In April, a further programme of asphalt preservation will be carried out on eight kilometres of roads to protect them from deterioration and extend their service life. These roads are currently in good condition, and this treatment helps ensure they remain that way.

Council teams are trialling the use of artificial intelligence to detect highway problems and improve condition monitoring of the road surface, signs, lining and other highway features.

This allows teams to identify issues sooner, target repairs more effectively, and further reduce disruption for residents. Once these have been assessed, they may be incorporated into routine maintenance and survey inspections.

Potholes can be reported at: https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-problem-with-a-road-or-street/report-a-pothole.

Tags: #potholes, pothole, roadsurface