More than 7,500 potholes wer fixed in the road of Swindon last year. But just 900 of those were reported to Swindon Borough Council.

The authority has started a campaign to get more people to tell them where the holes in the roads are, because while it inspects all the major routes across Swindon regularly, limited resources mean that residential and rural streets can only be checked twice a year.

National guidelines recommend that for a defect in the road to be technically classed as a pothole, it must be 40mm or deeper. A pothole in the pavement must be 30mm or deeper. Anything not meeting these standards will be monitored for further damage.

Councillor Maureen Penny, the cabinet member for transport and the environment, said: “Our highways team fixed 7,592 potholes and damaged patches in roads and footpaths across Swindon’s road network which is over 500 miles long.

“Sometimes it may look like our repairs are poor quality but these repairs will be quick fixes to make roads safe while we organise a proper repair. Long term repairs require planning to minimise disruption to road users which we are always conscious of, and our limited budgets mean we have to prioritise our work and can not fix everything quickly.

“I would urge anyone who knows the location of a pothole on any road, cycle path or footpath within the borough to report it to us through our improved online reporting system so we can get out and repair it.Once a pothole has been reported, one of the Council’s six highways inspectors aim to inspect all reports within four working days and if the pothole is 40mm or deeper, it should be fixed within 24 hours."

Following feedback from last year’s campaign, the Council has been working hard to streamline the reporting process and update the information on the website which helps residents to understand how potholes are repaired.