Soaring menace of potholes on Henley roads exposed

THE NUMBER of potholes reported across several villages around Henley exceeded 900 last year, as residents complain of craters which are “extremely large” and “unavoidable for drivers”.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by the Henley Standard found there were 912 reports of potholes by residents from several villages in the district from December 2024 to December 2025.

The figure covers potholes in Henley, Shiplake, Harpsden, Binfield Heath, Rotherfield Greys, Dunsden, Bix, Nettlebed, Middle Assendon, Highmoor, Peppard, Sonning Common and Kidmore End.

Kidmore End was the worst impacted,  recording nearly a quarter of the total number of pothole reports — 216, while Henley had 126.

Residents frequently reported potholes which had been there for months were extremely large and unavoidable for drivers.

Some were reported to be as deep as six inches, and several drivers said the potholes were dangerous. Others noted some were concealed by flooding or had sharp edges, worsening the hazard.

There were multiple reports of tyres blowing out and damage to wheels and suspension.

It comes as Oxfordshire County Council is increasing spending on pothole repairs and pay-outs for vehicles damaged by them.

In 2025, the council spent more than £179,000 on claims for damaged vehicles from 704 successful claims, and £2.5m on pothole repairs for the period until September.

This has steadily increased since at least 2020 and reached its peak in 2024 when it spent £3.4million on pothole repairs.

Councillors blame years of underfunding for the problem, but agree that even with infrastructure investment, the issue is not easily fixed as it is influenced by the types of roads and their age.

County councillor, Maggie Filipova-Rivers, who represents Goring and Woodcote, was not surprised Kidmore End came out on top.

“I live not far from Kidmore End and I can’t pass through my road,” she said. “This is probably one of the worse winters I’ve seen. I’ve been dreaming about potholes recently because it’s just so bad.

“I had to pay £500 for my tyres [damaged by potholes] — so we councillors are right there with residents in their frustration.”

She said her inbox is “absolutely flooded” with pothole-related emails and agrees the situation is unacceptable.

“I’m doing everything I can possibly do — but I feel quite powerless for the first time,” she said, noting the financial pressures on the council and all local authorities.

Rural roads were found to be the most blighted by potholes.

Bix & Assendon and Eye & Dunsden were the parishes that recorded the highest concentration of pothole per 1,000 residents.

They saw more than 230 pothole reports per 1,000 residents — 20 times that of of Henley.

Bix & Assendon, which has 628 residents and covers an area of about 10 square kilometres, reported 146 potholes over the year.

Councillor Jo Robb, who represents Woodcote and Rotherfield on South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “The potholes are dreadful, not helped by the near-constant rain.

“I don’t think I’ve had a journey in the last year where I haven’t had to avoid a savage pothole.

“I fear things will only get worse, with climate change impacting our weather and our roads. Our roads are under pressure from increased traffic too.”

Cllr Robb suggested the county council look into its efficiency — and consider bringing road repair back in-house, instead of using a contractor.

However, she also thinks the problems are broader, beyond the county council’s full control.

“It is responsible for 2,900 miles of road. This year it will spend £69million on road maintenance, while only receiving £33million from the Department for Transport,” she said.

“The numbers don’t stack up. It’s pretty clear local authorities need long-term stable funding if they are to deliver their services.”

Nick Willson, who owns the Flowing Spring pub in Henley Road, Playhatch, said the area was “riddled” with potholes.

He said one pothole causing significant problems was in Playhatch Road, near The French Horn.

“Cars are trying to go around it on to the other side of the road or trying to squeeze right in on the verge where there is no space, and a lot of them are just going over it, particularly at night when it’s dark and wet — you can’t see them,” Mr Willson said.

Another very deep pothole has been causing problems for drivers near the Tarmac entrance in Playhatch Road, Mr Willson added.

On Monday, a petition was launched on change.org to resurface a stretch of the road from Playhatch roundabout via Sonning Eye to Sonning Bridge.

The petition, which has so far received 53 signatures, said the road is a “ticking time bomb for serious accidents” and blames long-term neglect for the potholes, crumbling surfaces, and uneven patches which make navigation a “daily gamble”.

A spokesman for Oxfordshire County Council said it had made additional teams and resources available to repair potholes on roads following a rise in reports due to wet and freezing conditions.

He said the council and its principal highways contractor M Group more than doubled the repair crews from seven to 16 to reduce a backlog of potholes caused by the weather.

He said: “Heavy rainfall and then colder weather from mid-December into January created a cycle of freezing and thawing — perfect conditions for creating new potholes.

“The council aims to repair potholes within two hours, 24 hours or 28 days, depending on how big a risk they pose.”

The spokesman said about 875 of the 28-day jobs — around 35 per cent of the total — missed their deadlines by a few days because of the rise in reports at the beginning of January and other priority issues. Crews have also faced many larger potholes which are more time consuming to repair, the county council added.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said the county council received £33.4m funding this year to resurface roads and tackle potholes and will be eligible to receive nearly £168m over the next four years.