FLOOD-DAMAGED roads across Dorset are set to be repaired later this year after the county saw a huge surge in potholes and highway defects following months of severe weather.

Dorset Council says reports of potholes jumped by 92% between December 2025 and February 2026 compared with the same period last year.

Reports of other road defects rose by 54%, while emergency call-outs increased by 83%.

The spike follows what the council describes as some of the most persistent flooding in years, with certain roads left underwater for more than a month.

In response, councillors agreed an additional £5 million investment in highway repairs at last month’s Full Council meeting.

Work will focus on the worst-affected roads once conditions allow, with assessments already under way ahead of a programme of drainage and resurfacing schemes.

(Picture: Dorset Council)

Cabinet member for place services Cllr Jon Andrews said: “Since the start of 2026 Dorset has faced some of the most persistent and disruptive flooding we have seen in many years.

“Our priority now is to repair the damage these storms have inflicted – our rural roads have taken a battering.

“We need dry conditions before this work can go ahead but we will be doing this at the earliest opportunity.

“Meanwhile, our highways team have been incredibly busy, repairing over 3,000 potholes in January and February alone.”

(Picture: Dorset Council)

Council figures show the scale of the problem.

In the three months since December 22 the authority has received nearly 10,000 highways enquiries, responded to 862 emergency call-outs and repaired 5,508 highway defects.

Weather data highlights the severity of the conditions.

The Met Office said the Hurn weather station recorded its wettest January day in 74 years, while the first half of February brought 92.3mm of rain – almost 200% of the ten-year average for the month.

To cope with the surge in repairs, the council drafted in additional staff from other departments, responding to emergency call-outs within two hours and fixing the most serious potholes within 32 hours.

Cllr Andrews added: “Our staff are working incredibly hard repairing potholes, with the most serious being repaired within hours.

“Our extra £5m investment will not only target priority repairs but will also be used to deliver improvements that improve flooding resilience.”