A road spurring from the A487 has been left with a “Swiss cheese” like surface due to its numerous potholes, it’s been claimed. A campaigner said there were more than 50 potholes on a 200-metre stretch of Cambrian View in Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd.
Dave Neve, a former Kent councillor and highways lead, now living in Talsarnau, has threatened a closure protest unless the road is resurfaced.
Tongue in cheek, he’s considering setting up a lobby group called Campaign for Real Action on Potholes (CRAP). Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter.
Mr Neve said pothole repairs were a sticking plaster solution that, in the long run, are most costly than road resurfacing. “The situation in Cambrian View is criminal,” he said.
“There can’t be many roads with more potholes per 100 metres. Cambrian View has been left so long without resurfacing that local drivers often divert rather than risking their vehicles.”
Latest insurance figures suggests pothole claims by drivers fell slightly in 2025. However the cost of fixing damage is increasing: according to the AA, average repair costs climbed 20% in 2024 alone.
Potholes are also hitting council budgets. An ITV Wales survey found that, in the year to June 2026, local authorities across Wales paid out at least £130,000 to drivers in compensation – even though most claims are rejected (99% in Carmarthenshire, 97% in Conwy ).
It’s estimated that each pothole repair costs £180. In the 2024-25 financial year, Cyngor Gwynedd spent £750,000 patching up roads on its network.
Mr Neve claimed pothole patching was a poor use of taxpayers’ money. “There are at least 50 potholes on Cambrian Way,” he said. “Repairing them all would cost around £9,000.
“Yet the patches only last a year before they need doing again. Resurfacing is most expensive, around £35,000 per 100 metres. But the work will last at least 10 years, making it three times more cost-effective in the long run.
“When I led the highways department in Kent, this was the approach we always took. Gwynedd’s A road are actually OK, generally, but its B and C roads suffer from having only reactive maintenance.”
Local authorities would prefer to focus on resurfacing but the sheer number of potholes mean they are constantly playing catch-up. Cyngor Gwynedd has said its pothole spending is “not the best use of our road maintenance revenue funding”.
To help bridge the gap, in 2025 the council was allocated £7.8m from the Welsh Government’s Local Government Borrowing Initiative. This is being used to tackle improve road and tackle defects on more than 60 routes.
Cyngor Gwynedd said resurfacing is planned on Cambrian View this autumn. A spokesperson said: “Planned resurfacing work for this particular section of the class-3 road at Penrhyndeudraeth was delayed while the council has coordinated the project with a separate utilities project, so that the new road surface would not be excavated.
“The work is now scheduled, in partnership with the utilities company, to take place in October/November 2026. In the meantime, the council is keeping a close eye on the situation and reacting to any defects.”
Gwynedd’s highways maintenance service continuously monitors the county’s 1,790 miles of public highways. Safety inspections are undertaken on a regular basis, said the council.
The local authority explained: “The weather – and in particular, extremely hot or wintry conditions – can lead to increased deterioration of the road surface where necessary remedial work is undertaken.
“This can be challenging, given the budgetary constraints on local authorities. However, any necessary emergency remedial work is carried out as soon as possible. On average, the council spends £620,000 annually on this type of work but this can vary depending on factors such as the weather.”
Armed with £7.8m of additional funding, Cyngor Gwynedd said it is now able to carry out a wider programme of road surface restoration work across the county.
The spokesperson added: “This type of work – which involves resurfacing, overlaying or improving an entire section of road – is essential as it tackles the root causes of potholes and helps reduce the risk of new potholes in the future.
“We will continue to carefully monitor the network and work proactively to improve the condition of the roads for the safety and wellbeing of highway users.”
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