The way the council enforces its highways repair contract has been revealed

Sheffield’s potholes contractor has been fined eight times this year, amid anger over shoddy work and 13,000 repairs.

Sheffield City Council said it had penalised Amey for failing to tackle ‘category one defects’, deemed an ‘immediate hazard’, within 24 hours.

A huge team resurfaced Nether Edge crossroads after complaints about potholes. | IM

placeholder image — A huge team resurfaced Nether Edge crossroads after complaints about potholes. | IM

But it refused to reveal how much, stating the need to protect the company’s interests outweighed the public’s right to know.

No fines had been imposed in 2025, or 2024, it added.

The enforcement regime was revealed after thousands of complaints over potholes and the poor quality of some repairs this year.

One patch on Rushdale Road lasted 13 days.

A pothole repair on Rushdale Road in Sheffield lasted 13 days. | Greens/im

In a Freedom of Information response, the city council said Amey repaired 8,929 potholes in the first four months of 2026. But as of May 8, it still had 4,088 to fix.

The authority insisted it “rigorously challenges” the company on perceived failures and areas for improvement.

An Amey spokesperson said they were using more durable products and there were “well over” 10 crews working on “reactive repairs and planned maintenance,” up from five in February.

The lifespan of temporary repairs depended on traffic, weather and materials, they added.

Damaged surface on Highfield Road, S11. | IM

“Following prolonged wet weather earlier this year, a more durable product (Viafix) has been introduced to improve performance until permanent repairs are completed.”

Amey boss Andy Milner also blamed the weather, according to Sheffield MP Marie Tidball, who quzzied him in Parliament.