Potholes happen when roads freeze and thaw repeatedly, causing the surface to break up. They appear more frequently in late winter and early spring.
We maintain and repair most roads and pavements in East Sussex. For roads we don't look after, see Roads and pavements – what we do.
Report a pothole
Use our online reporting system to let us know about a problem
See below for tips on reporting a pothole.
Emergencies
If you spot a dangerous pothole that could cause immediate risk to public safety, speak to our contact centre on 0345 60 80 193. More information about dangerous potholes is set out below.
Tell us
To help our crews find the pothole, be as detailed as you can.
Location of the pothole
- road name or junction
- nearby landmarks or house numbers
- town or village.
Describe the pothole
- how big and deep it is (only measure it if you can do it safely), eg golf ball, tennis ball or football-sized
- where on the road it is, eg the edge or middle.
Your contact details – in case we can't find the pothole and need to find out more.
What happens next?
If the pothole is dangerous, we will make it safe within two hours and fix it within 5 days. Less urgent potholes will be fixed as soon as we have a crew working in the area. This is usually within a week.
Completed works are monitored to ensure the road is safe for public use.
Dangerous potholes
Roads
A pothole in a part of the road that would be dangerous to all vehicles, including bicycles and motorbikes and which measures:
- on the busiest roads more than 40mm deep and more than 300mm in diameter
- on all other roads more than 100mm deep and more than 300mm in diameter.
Pavements
On tarmac pavements, a pothole would be considered dangerous if it is more than 25mm deep and more than 600mm in diameter.
East Sussex County Council