Published on Monday 23 March 2026
Residents across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) will benefit from safer, smoother roads thanks to new proactive measures to protect and maintain the highway network and reduce the likelihood of future potholes.
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 our roads, fixing potholes and making journeys smoother for residents.
Last year, BCP Council repaired 6,274 defects across the network - including potholes, footways and kerbs - and also refreshed or replaced 1,586 road lines and signs.
Figures from the Department of Transport (DfT) placed road conditions across BCP as being in the top 20% nationwide.
The condition of roads in BCP Council were rated ‘green’, the best rating the DfT give 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 8km 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.
BCP Council is taking an innovative approach to making sure roads are in the best condition for residents. Council teams are also trialling the use of Artificial Intelligence to proactively detect highway problems and improve condition monitoring of the road surface, signs, lining and other highway features.
This allows our 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 here - https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-problem-with-a-road-or-street/report-a-pothole