Derbyshire ranked 2nd in new data showing where Britain’s roads are in the worst condition

Image by Jacob Ode from Pixabay

A new study has revealed the UK areas with the worst road surfaces, with Derbyshire only beaten by West Northamptonshire.

The analysis, conducted by field management software Re-flow Field Management, examined road condition data from the Department for Transport, looking at the percentage of roads given ‘red’ status, indicating surfaces in poor condition that may require immediate maintenance.

Derbyshire showed a percentage of A-roads in a red status; as 20.4%, in amber, 44%, B and C roads in red status at 27% and those in amber at 47.6%. Derby City was placed 12th in the 50 worst rankings, with a score of 34.27, with Nottingham 13th, scoring 33.88. Nottinghamshire did not appear in the Top 10 county list.

With a final score of 46.60, data showed only 35% of county A roads and motorways are rated green, while a concerning 20.4% fall into the red category, the highest in the UK. B and C roads are even worse, with just 25.2% rated green and 27% classified as red.

In response to these challenges, Derbyshire County Council has committed to a £41 million investment in road maintenance for the 2025/26 period. Approximately £24 million of this budget is allocated specifically for road repair schemes, targeting key A, B, and residential roads across the county.

Initiatives include a £3.6 million surface dressing programme at 57 sites, micro asphalt repairs to 79 residential roads costing £930,000, and patching work at 111 sites to prepare for future resurfacing efforts.

Commenting on the findings, Ashley Wing, CMO of Re-flow Field Management, said: “These results show a concerning picture of the UK’s road infrastructure, with significant regional disparities in road quality. What’s particularly worrying is seeing areas like Westminster in the top 10, showing that even wealthy boroughs aren’t immune to road maintenance issues.

“What jumped out was that West Northamptonshire has less than 10% of its B and C roads in good condition. For residents driving on those routes every day, that is a shocking statistic.

“These findings come at a crucial time when local authorities are making difficult budget decisions. Our 2024 Construction Report highlights how digital systems can help road maintenance teams work more efficiently, prioritising repairs and managing resources better through improved visibility between site and office operations.”

Methodology and sources:

• Road surface data was retrieved from GOV.UK
• The average percentage of roads that were determined to be Red, Amber, or Green over the last 5 years (2020-2024) were extracted for each Local Authority and used to calculate a score for the A Roads and Motorways and a score for B and C Roads.
• These scores were then used to rank the Local Authorities from the highest levels of poor road surfaces to the lowest. The scores were then also combined to produce an overall score to rank the local authorities from worst to best.