West Sussex County Council is adapting the way it maintains the highways to reduce the impact of extreme weather on roads, potholes and drainage.

More frequent cold, wet winters followed by hot, dry summers can weaken road surfaces, and the council is working year-round to improve resilience and keep residents moving.

The effect of last winter’s exceptionally heavy rainfall was felt across the highway network, with roads closed, in some cases for many days, due to standing flood water, and potholes forming where water had damaged road surfaces.

Since 1 April 2026, the council’s highways teams have focused on repairing the damage caused by winter weather, including:

• More than 13,200 potholes repaired
• Over 34,000 drainage assets cleared
• 16,790sqm of carriageway patched
• Targeted works on roads most affected by winter conditions

Cllr Erika Woodhurst-Trueman, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said:

“Residents have told us they want cleaner, better-maintained streets, improved road conditions and visible action in their communities. As a new administration we are determined to listen and act on this and our teams are working throughout the year to actively maintain our roads, predict and prevent problems, innovate our approaches and respond to issues as they arise.”

Prolonged high temperatures this summer and uninterrupted sunshine has caused some road surfaces to soften. As temperatures fall and surfaces re-harden, new weaknesses can develop, increasing the risk of potholes.

To combat this, the council is using gritters to spread granite material that helps protect the surface by reducing the amount of heat the road absorbs.

The gritters will be deployed throughout the summer and the routes fully inspected when temperatures drop, with any defects scheduled for repair.

The council is making the most of favourable weather conditions to accelerate planned maintenance work and has completed 50% (50 miles) of this year’s resurfacing programme. However, works must be paused when temperatures become too high for materials to set properly.

These activities directly respond to issues raised by residents and provide visible improvements in local communities.

Cllr Woodhurst-Trueman added:

“Most of our investment is rightly focused on keeping the network safe and operational through inspections, drainage maintenance, winter service activities and highway repairs. However, we know that when signs are dirty, vegetation overhangs, crossings have a build-up of debris, our local streets look and feel unloved. So, we are stepping up our work in this area, delivering visible improvements to local streets.”

(Picture: West Sussex County Council)