How to Report a Pothole in Sutton: A Simple Guide
Potholes are one of those everyday problems that can quickly become more than an inconvenience. A damaged road surface can be hazardous for cyclists and motorcyclists, damage vehicles and become progressively worse if water gets into it.
If you’ve spotted a pothole in Sutton or Wallington, here’s how to report it — and what happens next.
How do I report a pothole in Sutton?
Sutton Council has an online service for reporting potholes and other road defects.
You can also use it for problems including sunken roads, damaged road surfaces, broken or loose manhole covers, damaged kerbs or verges, gully problems and worn road or cycle-lane markings.
Report a pothole or road defect to Sutton Council
When making a report, give the location as accurately as you can. If possible, include a photograph and identify a nearby house number, junction or recognisable landmark.
That can make it much easier for an inspector to find the defect.
How quickly will a pothole be repaired?
This depends on the risk.
Sutton currently publishes three repair categories:
Priority works: repaired or made safe within 24 hours.
Urgent works: completed within 8 working days.
Normal works: completed within 25 working days.
The most serious defects are therefore dealt with first rather than simply repairing potholes in the order they were reported.
What if the problem is on the pavement rather than the road?
You can report that too.
Problems such as broken or loose paving, cracks, sunken footpaths, damaged surfaces, tree-root damage, and obstructions have their own footpath reporting service.
Report a footpath problem in Sutton
This distinction is useful because selecting the correct type of report helps ensure it reaches the appropriate team.
What if the pothole is on a red route?
This is an important exception.
Sutton Council does not maintain London’s red routes. Those roads are the responsibility of Transport for London.
You can usually recognise them from the single or double red lines. In Sutton, major routes include the A217 and A24. Problems on those roads need to be reported to TfL rather than Sutton Council.
