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Greater Manchester town named as one of country’s worst at fixing potholes

Can you guess which one it is?

Emily Sergeant - 14th January 2026

A town in Greater Manchester has been named one of the worst in the country at managing roads and fixing potholes.

For the first time ever, drivers across England can now see how well their local highway authority is tackling potholes on their roads thanks to a new traffic light rating system published by the Government this weekend.

The new ratings grade local highway authorities as red, amber, or green.

The ratings – which have presented on a new interactive map – are based on current road condition and how effectively local authorities are spending the Government’s record £7.3 billion funding to fix potholes and investing in long-term measures to maintain roads.

The Government funding is meant to allow local authorities to repair potholes ‘effectively’ and move away from short-term repairs that work out to be more expensive – with these fixes meaning more money in drivers’ pockets, as the average repair bill from hitting potholes is said to be around £320.

We’ve launched a Red, Amber, Green rating system, so you can see how well your local highway authority (LHA) is fixing your local roads.

🟢 Green = best practice, long-term preventative plans
🟠 Amber = on the way, but room to improve
🔴 Red = support in place to raise… pic.twitter.com/gRwkEx5kdm

— Department for Transport (@transportgovuk) January 11, 2026

The condition of local roads, how much local authorities are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways are all key areas taken into account when deciding on an area’s rating.

Those that scored ‘green’, like Manchester, were able to demonstrate they are following best practice, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads, and those that scored ‘amber’ – which the majority of Greater Manchester came under showed that there was room for improvement in individual areas.

However, one Greater Manchester town did not fare well at all, and ended up with an ‘red’ rating… and that town was Bolton.

Those local authorities that are rated ‘red’, like Bolton, are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured, according to the Government, such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes, or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely. 

“For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate,” commented Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.

“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.

Read more:

• New survey finds Manchester has the lowest rate of fixed reported potholes in the UK
• Government gives Greater Manchester extra £6.2 million to fill potholes across region
• ‘Wanksy’ – the Manchester street artist who turned potholes into penises

“Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time, we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.”

Featured Image – Picasa (via Unsplash)