The quality of major roads across nearly half of local authorities in England has deteriorated over recent years, according to new figures.
Local councils are required to perform routine assessments of their road networks, grading surfaces as red, amber or green. A red classification indicates that roads are in “poor” condition and should have been considered for repair work.
Data released by the Department for Transport (DfT) reveals that 45 per cent of councils recorded a rise in the proportion of A road marked as red between 2024 and 2026.
These metrics reflect the total length of road within each council boundary rather than the overall number of individual roads.
A total of 147 authorities provided comparison data for the years ending March 2024 and March 2026.
Out of those 147 councils, 66 (45 per cent) saw an increase in red-classified A road during this timeframe. Meanwhile, 53 authorities (36 per cent) registered no overall change and 28 (19 per cent) recorded a drop.
Brighton & Hove logged the highest proportion for the year ending March 2026, with 17 per cent of the A road under its management categorised as red.
Nottingham reported the second highest proportion, at 15 per cent, followed by Brent in London (14 per cent) and Salford and North Tyneside (both 13 per cent).
Not all councils use the same type of equipment for carrying out surveys of road conditions, the DfT said.
This means the method for categorising a road surface as red, or poor, may vary between areas.
The data for A roads includes stretches of motorway managed by local authorities.
Across England as a whole, 4 per cent of local A road was categorised as red in 2026, unchanged from both 2024 and 2025.
This figure stood at 5 per cent between 2008 and 2013, then dropped to a low of 3 per cent in 2016, where it remained until climbing to 4 per cent in 2023.
Some 28 per cent of local A road in 2026 was classed as amber, meaning maintenance may be required soon, up slightly from 27 per cent in 2024 and 2025.
The remaining 68 per cent was classed as green, meaning no further work is needed, down from 70 per cent in 2024 and 69 per cent in 2025.
The DfT data also covers B and C roads, as well as those that are unclassified.
The proportion of local authority-managed B and C road in England in 2026 that were classed as red, or poor, was 6 per cent.
This represents a return to the level seen since 2016, following a brief rise to 7 per cent in 2025.
Meanwhile, 16 per cent of locally-managed unclassified road was classed as red in the latest figures, though this data is collected by councils over a four-year period, due to the size and variation of the road network.
Historically, this percentage has always been higher than the equivalent figures for A, B and C roads, and has remained between 15 per cent and 18 per cent since current reporting started in 2008.
Luke Bosdet of the AA’s motoring policy unit said: “Today’s road condition report once again reveals two different Englands: one with major and main roads in reasonably good condition and another with minor and rural roads often pitted with holes and defects.
“Many of these defects don’t quite meet a council’s criteria for repair but still pose a threat, or are bad enough to meet repair requirements but are back-logged on a long list.
“What is happening on rural roads partly mirrors what is happening in residential streets but is ramped up to a higher threat level: potholes and other defects are harder to spot, more severe and take even longer to be repaired.”
Unclassified roads account for around 62 per cent of all local authority-managed roads in England, the DfT said.
B and C roads make up around 29 per cent, while A roads and motorways account for about 10 per cent.
