New figures reveal that Tamworth Road in Sutton Coldfield received the highest number of pothole damage claims submitted to Birmingham City Council over the past 12 months.
The data, obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by BirminghamLive, shows the busy road stretching from the town to Bassetts Pole roundabout topped the list. A council spokesperson confirmed: "Currently Tamworth Road, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham has had the most claims."
While the council did not disclose the specific number of claims for Tamworth Road, it reported receiving 499 claims in total across the city since August 2025, with £30,103.91 paid out in compensation. The success rate of these claims was not specified.
Patchwork repairs and a neglected stretch
Sutton Trinity ward councillor David Pears told BirminghamLive that Kier, the council's highways maintenance contractor, recently carried out patchwork repairs along Tamworth Road. However, he claimed the worst-affected section between Lichfield Road and the railway bridge remained untouched.
"Towards the end of last year, and the start of this year, Kier did some patching work repairing the road surface, in patches, on Tamworth Road," Pears said. "There were two sections they did, before the bridge coming from Whitehouse (Common), coming in from Bedford Road and between Bedford Road and the railway bridge."
Video footage and photographs taken by BirminghamLive also showed potholes along the stretch heading towards the roundabout.
Councillor's frustration over repair criteria
Pears described the neglected section as "really bad," noting it goes up a hill. He said he raised the issue with Kier directly: "I took it up with Kier and I said, 'Look, why have you done the other two bits and you haven't done this bit?' And they said, 'Well, the other two bits were programmed.'"
"And I said, 'Well, the bit you haven't done is the worst part. Can you get it fixed?' And I've sent them several messages to do this, but each time they come back and they say that it doesn't fit the criteria to be repaired," he added.
Council defends inspection process
In response, a Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "Tamworth Road is routinely inspected via driven safety inspections each month and 6-monthly walked inspections."
"During these inspections, our Highway Safety Inspectors assess defects against a defined risk matrix, with consideration for highway user and pedestrian safety, defect severity, road type, and traffic levels. This criteria determines the categorisation of defects and prioritisation of works, ensuring a consistent and proportionate response to repairs across our network."
"Any defect on the road which did not meet this safety criteria will not have been included in the planned scheme of works. Our teams will continue to monitor, prioritise, and address defects based on safety risk and network condition, alongside an extensive programme of ongoing works scheduled across Birmingham," the spokesperson added.
Birmingham City Council and Kier were approached for comment by BirminghamLive.
