Use the council service for the county where the defect is located: report a pothole or other highway problem in Wiltshire through MyWilts (online or in the MyWilts app), and report one in Gloucestershire through the county council’s Fix My Street map. Give one precise location for one defect, add a photograph only when it is safe, and never step into traffic to measure or photograph the damage. A motorway or an A road managed by National Highways needs to be reported to National Highways instead of the county council.
Choose the correct reporting route
The authority responsible for inspecting and repairing a road depends on its location and ownership. Start with this county-level split, then check whether the road is one of the major routes managed by National Highways.
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| Where the defect is | Primary route | What the service is for | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wiltshire | MyWilts online reporting service or the MyWilts app | Road and highways defects, including potholes; attach photographs or video when safe | Register if you want to follow progress. Anonymous submissions may not provide progress updates. |
| Gloucestershire | Gloucestershire County Council’s Fix My Street reporting map | One specific highways problem at one precise location per submission | Keep the report reference so you can refer to the case later. |
| Motorway or A road managed by National Highways in England | National Highways reporting route | Defects on roads within that agency’s network | Confirm that the particular road is managed by National Highways; not every A road is. |
Make the report safely and precisely
Do not enter the carriageway
Safety comes before evidence. Do not walk into a live lane to inspect depth, place a measuring object beside the pothole, or take a close-up photograph. Gloucestershire County Council expressly says: “Please do not step out into the road to measure the pothole you are reporting, our Highway Safety Inspectors will do this once the report has been submitted.” The same principle applies when reporting in Wiltshire or on a National Highways route.
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Pin the exact point
Use the map marker supplied by the reporting service and check that it sits on the correct carriageway. Add a written description that lets an inspector find the defect without guessing: the road name, direction of travel, nearby junction, landmark, house number or other fixed feature, and which lane or edge of the road is affected when that can be stated safely.
“Pothole on the road near the village” is too vague for a service that needs to dispatch an inspection. Gloucestershire’s instructions say reports about a general area cannot be processed. A single accurate point is more useful than a long description covering several possible locations.
Describe the hazard, not just the label
State what you observed and why it creates a risk. Useful details include whether the defect is in a traffic lane, at a junction, near a cycle lane, beside a footway, or likely to affect vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians. Explain whether there are multiple separated defects, standing water, loose material or a damaged cover, but submit separate reports where the service requires one issue per case.
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Do not estimate a measurement by stepping into the road. If you can safely give an approximate description from the pavement or a stopped vehicle, make clear that it is an observation rather than an official measurement. Inspectors will assess the condition under the authority’s highway inspection procedures.
Add images only when safe
A photograph can help show the position and surrounding context, but it is optional. Take it from a safe place and avoid including identifiable people or unnecessary vehicle registration details. MyWilts supports photo or video attachments. Gloucestershire’s Fix My Street process allows an optional photograph. An image never justifies standing in traffic or delaying a safe departure.
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How to report a pothole in Wiltshire
1. Open MyWilts
Use Wiltshire Council’s MyWilts online reporting service or the MyWilts app. Select the road, highways or equivalent defect category presented by the current service. Interface names can change, so follow the category that covers a pothole or damaged highway rather than selecting an unrelated service.
2. Place the map pin
Move the pin to the actual defect, not merely the nearest village or the start of a road. Check the map at a useful zoom level and confirm the marker is on the correct side or carriageway. If the pothole is near a junction, identify the arm of the junction and the direction of travel in the description.
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Describe the surface failure, its position and the hazard it presents. Include fixed landmarks or numbers that remain visible to an inspector. If there is more than one distinct defect, describe each location clearly and use the service’s reporting rules rather than combining unrelated locations into one vague entry.
4. Attach evidence if you can do so safely
MyWilts accepts photo or video attachments. Add a view that shows both the defect and its setting, provided you can capture it without entering the road or creating a distraction. Do not treat an attachment as a substitute for an accurate map pin.
5. Decide whether to register
You can submit through the service without creating an account in situations where anonymous reporting is available. Wiltshire Council’s app information says most services may accept anonymous submissions, but an anonymous user may not receive progress updates. Register if seeing the case history or receiving updates matters to you, and keep any confirmation or reference presented after submission.
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What happens after a Wiltshire report
Wiltshire Council’s 2023 highway report identifies MyWilts as its preferred public channel for reporting highway defects. It says reported potholes are inspected and categorised under the council’s highway safety inspection approach. That policy background explains why the report is assessed rather than automatically repaired; it does not promise a particular response time or outcome. Use the current MyWilts case information for the status of an individual report.
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How to report a damaged road in Gloucestershire
1. Open the county council’s Fix My Street map
Start with Gloucestershire County Council’s Fix My Street reporting map. The council’s May 2025 guidance describes the online service as the fastest way to report a highways problem. The map is the starting point for selecting the location and the relevant issue category.
2. Select one exact location
Place the marker directly on the pothole or other damaged section. Gloucestershire says a report about a general area cannot be processed, so do not use a town centre, parish or long stretch of road as a substitute for a point. Add the nearest fixed landmark and explain the side of the road or lane when it is safe to do so.
3. Submit one issue per report
Gloucestershire asks people to submit one specific issue per report. If two potholes are separated along the road, create two reports with two pins and two descriptions. If the same location has a pothole and a separate damaged cover or obstruction, report each issue according to the categories offered by the service. This gives inspectors a clear item to assess and prevents one report from hiding several locations.
4. Choose the issue category and add a photograph if safe
Select the category that best matches the defect, write the location and condition details, and attach an optional photograph from a safe position. Do not leave the vehicle or step into traffic merely to improve the image. The council’s highway safety inspectors will measure and assess the pothole after submission.
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5. Save the reference
Retain the confirmation or reference number. It is useful when checking the case, supplying further information or documenting a later vehicle-damage claim. A report records that you notified the authority; it is not a promise that the defect will be repaired immediately.
Urgent deep potholes in Gloucestershire
For a pothole requiring urgent attention that is more than 75 mm deep, Gloucestershire County Council gives the emergency number 08000 514 514. Use the emergency route only when the circumstances fit the council’s stated threshold and urgency. Give the exact location and explain the immediate hazard; do not attempt to measure the depth yourself from the carriageway.
Check whether the county council owns the road
County reporting services are not automatically responsible for every road within the county boundary. GOV.UK directs drivers to National Highways for potholes on motorways or A roads managed by that agency in England. The qualification matters: National Highways does not manage every A road, so check the specific road rather than relying on its number alone.
If you are unsure, identify the road and its location first, then use the ownership information supplied by the relevant authority. Sending a defect to the wrong organisation can delay an inspection. When a road is clearly within a county council’s network, use the county route above; when it is a National Highways-managed motorway or A road, use National Highways’ reporting route.
If a pothole damaged your vehicle or property
Report the defect before making a claim
In Gloucestershire, report the pothole through Fix My Street first and retain the reference number. The council’s claim guidance asks for the incident location and details, along with supporting documents relevant to a vehicle, property or injury claim. A repair report and a compensation claim are separate processes: notifying the council does not establish liability or guarantee payment.
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Keep a clear evidence file
- Record the date, approximate time and exact location of the incident.
- Keep the council report reference and a copy of what you submitted.
- Retain safe photographs, repair invoices, inspection reports and other documents relevant to the damage.
- Write down what happened while the sequence is fresh, including the direction of travel and the part of the vehicle or property affected.
Only collect evidence without putting yourself or anyone else in danger. If the damage involves an injury, seek appropriate medical help and follow the relevant reporting and insurance processes as well as contacting the road authority.
Understand the claim’s limits
Gloucestershire warns that most claims are unsuccessful. The outcome depends on the facts and on the authority’s legal maintenance duties, including what it knew or reasonably should have known and how it applied its inspection system. A successful report, a photograph or a reference number can support your account, but none of them by itself proves that the authority is liable.
What to do after submitting a report
Keep the case details
Save the confirmation page, email, screenshot or reference number supplied by the service. Note which authority received the report and the location you selected. These records prevent confusion if you need to provide a clarification or make a separate claim.
Use account-based updates where available
MyWilts registration is useful when you want to follow progress; anonymous Wiltshire submissions may not provide updates. For Gloucestershire, use the case reference and the current Fix My Street information supplied after submission. Neither service’s existence means every defect will receive the same treatment: inspectors assess each report against the authority’s safety procedures.
Report a changed or separate hazard correctly
If the defect worsens, moves, or creates a new hazard, submit the additional information through the service rather than editing a description to cover an unrelated location. In Gloucestershire, keep the one-issue-per-report rule. A newly appearing pothole several metres away is a separate location and should have its own pin.
Common reporting mistakes and how to fix them
| Problem | Why it causes difficulty | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| The report says only “potholes on this road” | Inspectors cannot identify which defect to assess; Gloucestershire says general-area reports cannot be processed. | Pin one defect and describe nearby fixed landmarks, side of road and direction of travel. |
| Several defects are bundled into one Gloucestershire report | The council asks for one specific issue per submission. | Submit a separate report and map pin for each distinct issue. |
| The reporter steps into traffic to measure depth | The action creates a greater risk than the road defect and is unnecessary. | Report what can be observed safely; highway inspectors will assess the measurement. |
| A photograph is taken from the carriageway | The evidence is unsafe and may expose the photographer to traffic. | Take a contextual image only from a safe place, or submit without one. |
| The wrong authority receives the report | Motorways and some A roads may be managed by National Highways rather than the county council. | Check responsibility for the particular road and use the managing authority’s service. |
| An anonymous Wiltshire report is expected to provide updates | Wiltshire’s app information says anonymous users may not receive progress updates. | Register with MyWilts if follow-up is important, and save the confirmation. |
| A repair report is treated as a compensation decision | Notification does not establish liability or guarantee payment. | Keep a separate evidence file and follow the authority’s claim process. |
How the two county systems differ
The practical difference is the service you open and the follow-up information each council describes. Wiltshire offers MyWilts online and through an app, with optional registration for progress tracking and support for photo or video attachments. Gloucestershire directs reports to Fix My Street, stresses a precise location and one issue per submission, and publishes a separate emergency number for urgent potholes over its stated depth threshold.
Gloucestershire County Council says more than 35,000 reports were submitted through Fix My Street during its first year after launch in 2023. That figure demonstrates the scale of use, not a promise about inspection or repair times for an individual report.
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- Is the defect in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire or on a National Highways-managed route?
- Have you selected the exact map point rather than a general area?
- Are you reporting one issue per submission where Gloucestershire’s service requires it?
- Have you described the road, direction, lane or nearby landmark clearly?
- Did you avoid entering the carriageway and avoid measuring the pothole yourself?
- Is any photograph or video taken from a genuinely safe position?
- Have you saved the confirmation or reference number?
- If there was damage, have you kept the report record and supporting documents separately from the repair notification?
Keep the service details current
Online forms, app labels and telephone arrangements can change. Gloucestershire’s pothole page was reviewed on 5 February 2026, its general reporting guidance was published on 13 May 2025, and the MyWilts app listing was updated on 9 March 2026. Wiltshire’s 2023 policy report remains useful background on inspection practice, but it should not be treated as a description of every current screen. Before submitting, open the live council service and confirm the current category, contact details and road responsibility for the location.
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