Garforth councillor criticises 'dangerous' potholes on Leeds roads as concerns raised for public safety

Mark Dobson, councillor for Garforth and Swillington, has spoken out about rising reports of potholes across his ward and has called for Leeds City Council to ensure future resurfacing work is done properly.

In a letter written to Councillor Jonathan Pryor, City Council’s executive board member for transport, Coun Dobson said that some of the potholes in his ward are now so large he is receiving daily reports of burst tyres and damaged alloys.

“Over the winter you always get requests from residents to fix potholes and the odd incident of somebody hitting a pothole and damaging their car but this year it’s been relentless. I’m talking three, four, five times a day that people are reporting potholes,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“There are some really deep and significant potholes that have caused damage to vehicles, and there are some that have caused multiple bits of damage. I’ve found it genuinely hard to keep on top of the queries about potholes this year.”

Coun Dobson further revealed that a number of temporary fixes carried out by the council’s Highways Maintenance team at locations across his ward, including Bar Lane and Derwent Avenue, had not even lasted a week.

His concerns reached a head last Monday when he was informed that up to eight cars were parked at the side of the road with burst tyres and their hazards on, in the dark and rain, outside the entrance to Lotherton Hall on the A642.

“A friend of mine rang me. She counted eight vehicles with hazards on and damage to the vehicles, blown tyres, in one location. On a narrow country road, in the dark, in the rain and I just thought enough so I actually involved the police,” Coun Dobson said.

“It’s gone beyond potholes, it’s gone beyond cars being damaged, it was actually starting to represent a danger to public health and safety so I just felt compelled to step in.”

The YEP understands that temporary fixes have now been carried out to the road outside Lotherton Hall, as well as to Wood Lane in Great Preston, and Selby Road.

Pothole numbers statistically naturally increase over winter primarily due to the “freeze-thaw cycle,” where water seeps into road cracks, freezes, then expands. When the ice melts, it leaves a hollow space underneath, causing the road surface to collapse under traffic weight.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “As a council we set a high priority on maintaining our roads because we know it is a high priority for our residents. Our work has recently been recognised nationally with a green highest-level rating reflecting the way we manage highways maintenance operations.

“It is important however to recognise that despite this recognition, we still have a significant backlog of repairs across Leeds with an estimated value of £300million.”

A Freedom of Information request submitted in 2024 revealed a rising number of potholes across Leeds since the Covid-19 pandemic, with 8,723 potholes recorded during 2019, rising to 13,722 by 2023.

The YEP reported earlier this month that the local authority has signed off on plans to resurface over 125km worth of roads across 2026/27, at an estimated cost of £29.4 million.

An authority spokesperson added: “Our highways team is working hard to address this, but we understand more is needed. That is why we are looking at new technologies that will help make repairs more efficient and better quality.

“All of our highways maintenance work in Leeds follows national guidance and best practice and we invest £13million of capital funding into highways maintenance each year to support our work because we know it is a high priority for local residents and communities.”

Coun Dobson has called on City Council leaders to draw up an urgent action plan to address the issue so that permanent and lasting fixes can be carried out once the weather improves.

Between 2020 and 2025, Wakefield City Council were forced to pay out a total of £158,630 in compensation as a result of accident claims involving potholes and pavement defects.

“I fully accept that you can’t be out in the middle of winter, when it’s teeming down with rain, doing a good job on filling potholes. But during the summer there is a golden opportunity to identify where the issues are, put them right, and repair them properly.” Coun Dobson added.