'You are playing with our lives': Motorists call out Reform-led council over 'disgusting', 'unsafe' and 'dangerous' roads – WNC say recent weather has hit hard and they are prioritising most urgent repairs

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), now a Reform-controlled local authority since May 2025 after taking over from the Conservatives, has recently been given a ‘red’ rating – the worst of three gradings – for how it manages potholes.

The rating is part of a new Government traffic-light system designed to show how effectively councils are repairing roads. WNC is one of just 13 authorities nationwide to receive a ‘red’ rating.

Reacting to the rating, Labour MP for Northampton North Lucy Rigby said: “WNC was recently voted red on a traffic-like system looking at roads across the country. This Labour government has given West Northamptonshire Council more money than ever to tackle the potholes in our roads and we are putting as much pressure on them as we can to use the money and finally sort out Northampton's roads.”

Conservative MP for Daventry Stuart Andrew has weighed in on the issue, saying he is receiving a “high volume of correspondence from constituents about the condition of roads and potholes across West & North Northamptonshire, particularly within Daventry”.

He said: “Poor road surfaces and unresolved potholes are not just an inconvenience – they are a road safety issue. They pose risks to drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists, and can cause vehicle damage or lead to accidents if not addressed promptly.

“I drive on these roads regularly myself and have seen the condition first-hand. There appears to be delays in responses and repairs from our local councils, which raises concerns about the impact this is having on safety.”

This newspaper has also received multiple reports each day of severe road defects and asked readers to highlight the worst-affected roads. Here’s some of what they said:

Henry Williams said: “The roads in Northamptonshire are a total disgrace. They are not safe to drive on. I think it is only a matter of time before someone is killed or very seriously injured because of the disgusting state of our roads.”

Carole Prince, said: “I don’t think there is a road that hasn’t got potholes.”

Another reader, Polly Morby, said: “They are not potholes – they are deep crevices.”

Kirsty Viktoria highlighted Grange Road and Broadmead Avenue, while Frazer Moore added: “Try driving from St James to Round Spinney. It’s like a minefield the whole way.”

Mark Haines said: “Watford Road, Daventry, between Welton and Watford Gap – at least 12 cars had multiple burst tyres and damaged wheels on Wednesday, January 21. I was one of them.”

Louise Preston wrote: “I burst my tyre on a pothole on Spectacle Lane, Moulton, just before Christmas. I reported it straight away, but because I didn’t take photos, the council rejected my claim. What are we paying council tax for? It’s beyond a joke at this stage.”

‘Daventry Banksie’ has also made a return after a long hiatus.

The anonymous pothole campaigner, who rose to local fame in 2024 for putting up a series of pothole placards, usually places the signs on prominent roundabouts or directional signposts in an effort to pressure the council into taking action.

In a Facebook post published this month (January), Daventry Banksie said: “WNC you are playing with our lives.”

The campaigner has emailed the council, saying: “As predicted by the people of Daventry, there was an accident on the Long Buckby Road. Fire, ambulance and police in attendance. I now hear the potholes are being patched. I’m being told they’re only filling in some. I’m off to take a look. This road needs to be resurfaced as a priority. Are you able to tell me exactly what action is being taken to mend our roads please. I thought Reform promised no patching?”

A WNC spokesman recently blamed the weather for the state of the roads. They said: “West Northamptonshire’s road network is currently facing significant pressure following a prolonged spell of wet weather combined with extended freezing conditions.

“This mix of saturation and frost has caused widespread and accelerated deterioration across many parts of the network. While large sections are already scheduled for preventative and permanent repairs, those works rely heavily on suitable weather windows and planned road closures.”

Addressing why some repairs are temporary, the spokesman added: “At the moment, our priority is to address the most urgent safety issues caused by sudden damage. Many of these emergency repairs are temporary by design and allow us to make locations safe quickly before returning to deliver longer-lasting solutions.”

The spokesman urged the public to continue reporting potholes via the WNC app, its website or Fix My Street.

The Chronicle & Echo submitted a Freedom of Information request to WNC for data on potholes reported in the area in 2025. The data shows the total number of pothole reports in 2025 was around 9,000 to 10,000.

Out of 582 vehicle damage claims made to WNC in 2025, 410 were rejected and 172 resulted in a payout. That means around 29.6 per cent of claims were successful, while about 70.4 per cent were rejected. The council paid out a total of £9,884.60, working out at an average payout of about £57.46 per successful claim, which is roughly the cost of a new tyre.

Further council data shows most reported defects are classed as low priority, with around 4,000 issues given a 26-week repair target and taking an average of 49 days to fix. About 2,000 medium-priority defects, with a 28-day target, were repaired in an average of 11.9 days. A further 356 high-priority faults, due to be fixed within seven days, were completed in an average of 4.6 days. Only four defects were treated as emergencies requiring a 24-hour response, with an average repair time of just 0.1 days.

Cllr Richard Butler, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “Recent wet and freezing weather has caused rapid deterioration across the road network, so we’re prioritising the most urgent, safety‑critical repairs.

“In some areas, our crews are carrying out temporary emergency patches to make locations safe quickly, and they’ll return to complete more permanent repairs as soon as conditions allow.

“Some of these issues occur very quickly and we’re asking everyone to report any they’re aware of. Please don’t assume we already know about them.”