Chesterfield roads: Watch as drivers give their views on the state of our roads – named the ‘worst’ in England

At the beginning of the year research by the Bill Plant Driving School found that roads in Derbyshire are in the worst condition in the whole of England.

According to the research our county has the largest percentage of A-roads and motorways in poor condition and requiring maintenance, with 20% of Derbyshire roads in this state.

Derbyshire County Council named the study ‘misleading’ saying that the percentage of the roads in poor conditions seems higher due to a difference in data collection.

But in the first four month of 2023, road users have reported almost 30 potholes across the county, using FillThatHole service.

We asked drivers in Chesterfield how they would rate the condition of the roads in and around the borough and they all complained about potholes getting worse.

Abigail Shephard said: “I think they are actually awful. I’m learning to drive now so I’m driving around myself and I can say how bad it is. I think they have become a hazard now.”

Jake Rhodes added: "Some places are quite bad and there are always roadworks to fill the potholes. And when they complete it, they don’t seem to last that long and they reappear after a couple of months.”

Melanie Jones said: “The roads in Chesterfield are quite terrible, the potholes are really, really bad. We had a newsletter from the Derbyshire County Council the other day and it said how much money they spent on potholes. And I was asking myself where about have they spent the money? When you get out to places in the county you can tell how bad the roads are. I think they are terrible.”

John Proctor added: “I think the Dunston area is really bad and they need to really concentrate on that. They have been out once and filled a few in but there are hundreds that still need filling. In general, when you look around all the back streets, it’s really bad. Along the main road as well. They need to do something.”