Pothole concerns rise in Caerleon as residents say it getting increasingly worse

People living in a Welsh town are despairing over the amount of potholes and the size of them. One resident claimed some are so deep you would be up to your knees in some of them

Rahaf Ali

15:24, 11 Apr 2026

Potholes have become an increasing concern in town of Caerleon, with damaged road surfaces drawing frustration amid concern it is getting worse. One resident says there are more than 1,000 potholes on the road between the town and Cwmbran, and another says they are so big you would be up to your knees in some.

Potholes are increasingly being reported across parts of Newport, but now is being felt more in the town, where uneven roads are raising questions about maintenance and investment.

Residents and visitors in Caerleon say the problem is starting to take its toll, with many raising concerns about vehicle damage and the wider impact on the area. Never miss a Newport story by subscribing to our newsletter here

Some have also suggested the state of the roads is putting people off visiting altogether, an issue that local businesses fear could affect visitors to the town.

Lee O’Malley moved to the area five years ago and feels it has got a lot worse in that time. “I’ve lived there for five years because I work for Transport for Wales, and ever since I’ve been here the potholes have just increasingly got worse and worse. They are literally everywhere in the Newport area. Some of them, if you stood at them, you’d be up to your knees in a pothole. They are that deep.”

Lee, who is originally from Fulham in West London, added: “I go and visit my kids back home, I mean, we have a few potholes around there, but they seem to be fixed pretty quick.

“But here, you do see the guys marking them and then all they seem to do is like a temporary fix. You see them just filling it up with a bucket of asphalt, compacting it, and then, you know, give it a couple of weeks and the potholes back.”

Resident Heather Morgan also expressed her deep concerns for the amount of potholes in the village, saying: “Someone counted over a thousand potholes between Caerleon and Cwmbran.

“The road is quite narrow and cars and bikes constantly swerve to avoid them, particularly in areas such as industrial estates where heavy vehicles turn off main roads

“The heavy vehicles coming through Caerleon to build the new Redrow estate cause pollution and even more damage to roads. Caerleon bridge is now potholes from one end to the other.

“Some of the deepest potholes have been patch filled but after heavy rain/frost the tarmac comes out and it is back to square one. Tyre firms and garages fixing vehicle suspensions are the only people benefiting from the massive damage caused by potholes.”

A spokesperson from Newport City Council has said: “Like every other part of the UK, Newport is seeing more issues with roads as a result of prolonged, severe winter and persistent wet weather conditions. Newport is not alone in facing these challenges.

Between April 2025 and February 2026, we repaired more than 3,200 potholes on our roads through our routine highway maintenance work across the city.”

They have also said: “On top of this, since last summer we have also been carrying out a proactive road resurfacing programme at key locations across Newport, details of which can be found here.

“Broadway in Caerleon is on the list of roads which will be resurfaced as part of this programme.

“We understand and share residents’ frustrations with our roads, which is why as part of our 2026-27 budget, we have committed more resources to fixing our roads, including A £1m contribution which will enable £12m of one-off borrowing for further highways improvement. An ongoing annual increase of £500,000 to our highway maintenance budget. An additional £1.5m one-off boost to the budget for 2026-27 from our underspend.

“There will be £200,000 to support main route enhancements. £200,000 to support street improvements such as signage and lines, enhancing the look and feel of neighbourhoods. £300,000 extra for road safety schemes “