'These roads are undriveable' - is this Lancashire's most pot-holed adopted road?
Residents of a small enclave of South Ribble are claiming to have the worst roads in Lancashire.
Following the news that Lancashire County Council - the area’s highways authority - has been rated as ‘amber’ in a new Government assessment of road maintainence, the people of Whitestake have been in touch.
They claim that their roads are a patchwork quilt of repairs, deep potholes, crumbling asphalt, and are constantly overlooked for maintainence, despite repeated reports made to LCC’s Love Clean Streets app.
They claim that Green Lane, leading into Newgate Lane, is one of the worst in the county. The unlit, single-track road, features an array of houses, farmland, equestrian stables, and leads to the popular Newgate Nurseries garden centre. It is also a popular dog walking area, and cycle route for people travelling between Penwortham, Hutton, and New Longton.
One resident said: “The road has been in a bad condition for some time, but it’s got so bad now, that I actively avoid turning right out of my drive. You simply can’t avoid the potholes, however carefully you drive down there. I’m constantly worrying about tyre damage, and at night, when it’s dark and the potholes are filled with water, it’s especially difficult to navigate. Even if you drive at 2mph, it’s bang, bang, bang, all the way down.”
Another resident said: “The roads are in a diabolical condition, and deteriorating. The local councils are happy to pass plans for more and more houses in this area - a lot of them in high council tax bands - but the money is not being spent on the area’s infrastructure. What is the money going on? Every now and again you’ll see someone turn up to fill a couple of holes, but that’s it.”
The Post has previously had confirmation that Green Lane is an adopted road, meaning it is a public highway maintained at public expense, with responsibilities for repairs, upkeep, and lighting transferred from property owners to the council.
When our reporter visited today, she found dozens of potholes in close proxmity, sharp ledges, crumbling asphalt exposing bricks underneath, and evidence of years of filled in repairs that have failed. One of the potholes - which was filled with water - measured three feet long and was three inches deep.
Lancashire County Council say their required level for work is if a pothole is:
- 40mm deep or over if on a road
- 25mm deep or over if on a footway (pavement) or crossing
Reports will be assessed and those that do not meet the required level may not be actioned.
Just over a year ago, it was revealed that Lancashire was to get an extra £14m for road repairs as part of a government drive to tackle potholes The additional cash – made up of £12.3m for Lancashire County Council, £994K for Blackburn with Darwen Council and £609K for Blackpool Council – is the county’s share of a £500m injection announced by the Department for Transport this week. Although presented as a plan for potholes, the funding is being added to local authorities’ highways maintenance budgets, meaning it can be used for a raft of road upgrades, including the replacement of traffic lights and streetlamps.
This week Lancashire MP Ashley Dalton urged LCC to take urgent action on potholes across the area, and to use money from central government wisely. She said: “It’s up to the Council now to show real change to local people and use this funding wisely to maintain roads by fixing existing potholes and preventing future ones.”
Lancashire County Council has been approached for comment over the issues in Whitestake, but is yet to respond.
52 per cent increase
During the 2024/25 financial year, which ended in April 2025, a total of just under 115,000 road and pavement defects were dealt with across the county council area – a 52 percent increase over a five-year period. The authority has previously blamed increasingly wet winters on the crumbling condition of the roads come spring time each year – particularly in 2024 when highways bosses noted that the network had been “saturated” for around six months.
Rhydian Jones, Confused.com car insurance expert, comments:“There’s no denying that the UK’s pothole problem continues to frustrate drivers up and down the country. And while recent additional government funding to fix roads has offered some relief, many motorists feel it’s still not enough, particularly in regions where persistent wet and cold conditions cause road surfaces to deteriorate more quickly.
“If drivers come across a pothole, reporting it to their local council straight away is vital. Even if your own vehicle has not been damaged, raising the alert could prevent another driver from being caught out later. Potholes can cause significant and costly damage, with government data showing some motorists paid over £1,000 in repair bills last year. The sooner repairs are made, the safer the roads will be for everyone.”
Drivers are able to make compensation claims for damage to their vehicles against highways authorities. For more information on this, click here: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/get-involved/compliments-comments-complaints/highways-environment-and-planning/