Road Condition and Potholes in Kidsgrove
Date received: 7 April 2026
Signatures received: 42
Name of petitioner: Mark Allen and Jason Owen
Status: Petition closed. Response below:
Dear Mr Allen and Mr Owen,
Thank you for your petition regarding the condition of Oldcott Drive and Oldcott Crescent, Kidsgrove, signed by local residents. I appreciate that your correspondence reflects the collective concerns of a significant number of residents within a relatively small area.
All roads in Staffordshire, including footways, are subject to routine highway safety inspections. During these inspections, the highway is assessed for defects that may present a safety risk. Any defects identified are raised as works and scheduled for repair in line with their assessed priority. In addition to these routine inspections, the Council receives approximately 4,000 highway-related reports each month from members of the public.
I can confirm that both Oldcott Drive and Oldcott Crescent were last routinely inspected on 30 June 2025. Both roads are currently subject to an annual highway safety inspection regime.
In relation to the reported defects, a number of footway and carriageway works were undertaken on both roads in June 2025. These works largely consisted of targeted safety repairs rather than full resurfacing. Further remedial works have also been raised to address additional defects identified during inspections. These works have been scheduled for delivery as and when resources allow.
All highway defects are risk-assessed using several factors, including the severity of the defect, the volume and type of traffic using the route, and the defect’s position within the highway. This assessment determines both the level of safety risk and the appropriate priority category, which in turn dictates the timescale for repair. While every effort is made to complete works within the identified timescales, this can be affected by factors such as adverse weather conditions or the need to respond to emergency issues elsewhere on the network. As a result, it is not currently possible to confirm specific dates for the outstanding repairs.
With regard to caravans and towed vehicles, there is no objection in principle to their use of the highway, provided they are not contravening any traffic regulation order, causing an obstruction, or creating a danger or nuisance to other road users or pedestrians.
The Council does not permit the storage of caravans or trailers on the highway and, where appropriate, may issue a notice and arrange for their removal. The police may also act where any vehicle presents a hazard or obstruction. Under civil parking enforcement powers, no action can be taken against an unattached caravan or trailer. If a caravan is believed to be abandoned, this should be reported to the local district council, which in this instance is Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.
Where possible, officers will seek to engage with vehicle owners in the first instance to address any concerns. However, for this to take place, the matter must be reported via Staffordshire County Council’s Report It system so it can be formally logged and allocated to the appropriate officer for investigation.
In relation to the use of off-road motorcycles or quad bikes, if the concern regards nuisance vehicles, excessive noise, dangerous driving behaviour, or other traffic-related offences, these matters should be reported directly to Staffordshire Police, as they fall outside the Council’s enforcement powers.
Finally, if residents have any further concerns regarding specific highway defects, they are encouraged to submit individual reports through the Council’s Report It pages at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/reportit. Individual reports remain necessary to ensure defects are accurately logged, tracked, and prioritised within the Council’s asset management system, even where wider concerns have been raised. Once a report has been assessed, the person submitting it will receive an automatic email notification of the outcome, provided an email address was supplied or they were signed in to a customer account.
When submitting a report, it is helpful for the location to be described as accurately as possible, using nearby junctions, property numbers, or identifiable features such as streetlights or telegraph poles. The what3words location app may also assist in pinpointing precise locations. Where available, photographs of the defect and its surroundings can be uploaded to support the report.
I trust the above is of assistance.
Kind regards,
Highways Department
Staffordshire County Council
