Road conditions and potholes have become a topic of heated debate. We understand your frustration and we genuinely share your concerns.
Our highways teams are working flat out every day, resurfacing, patching and making safe with temporary repairs, while long term fixes and resurfacing have already been undertaken, with more scheduled.
After a long period of budget cuts for local government, councils across the UK are now dealing with the consequences of sustained under-investment in highways.
Year-on-year funding cuts resulted in difficult choices on which essential services needed most protection, including services such as caring for vulnerable residents and education.
The result is that the condition of local roads has become a national issue, not one unique to Blaenau Gwent.
It has also been one of the wettest Januarys on record with BBC Weatherman, Derek Brockway highlighting nearby Blaenavon as the wettest place in Wales during January.
Because of this, our roads have taken a real hit, and particularly on higher ground where rainwater gets into tiny cracks, freezes, expands and breaks the surface, leaving weak spots where potholes form faster.
The persistent rain is slowing down permanent repairs; and we accept that the whack-a-mole approach doesn't always appear to be the most efficient use of resources, but there are times when a quick fix is essential.
In January alone, 601 potholes were reported to the Council, compared with 226 last January (a 165% increase). Last year (2025), 11,695 pothole repairs were made across the borough in line with guidance and legislation.
On top of the annual highways budget, the Council is investing an additional £5.4m in improving local roads over the next five years, which means around 80 roads will be resurfaced. This is being funded by £3.2m in additional capital investment and £2.2m from the Welsh Government's Local Government Borrowing Initiative.
It has been a long, rough winter, but when the weather improves we expect the extra investment and repair work to start to make a visible difference.
We appreciate your comments, but we encourage residents to report potholes by visiting My Services or through the Blaenau Gwent App, as formal reporting creates a record, and helps us prioritise our response within the resources we have available.