The dreaded pothole saga continues
The UK is facing a major pothole crisis, with numbers of potholes on the road causing more and more problems for drivers and the transport sector:
- The UK is thought to have over one million potholes, which equates to approximately six per mile of road.
- Potholes are a leading cause of car breakdowns according to the RAC that reporting in 2023, patrols attended almost 30,000 pothole-related breakdowns. This was a 33% increase from 2022.
- The cost of repairing potholes is very expensive and its us the drivers that end up paying for it through fuel duty and VAT on vehicle servicing and repairs.
- Potholes can lead to very expensive and lasting damage to our cars.
- The government has a £5 billion pot to tackle the problem until 2025.
We are guessing you will already know, but what actually causes a pothole?
There are a number of different factors that cause the formation of potholes:
- Water: Rain or melted snow seeps into cracks of the road and saturates the sub-base and soil underneath.
- Age: Deterioration of the road surface due to no maintenance and ageing
- Traffic: with there being more than 41.4 million licensed vehicles in the UK, which is a 1% increase from the 2023, the weight of this traffic breaks up the road surface and expands the hole.
- Freeze-thaw cycles: with the UK temperatures often just above freezing, then dip below zero frequently, this causes more freeze-thaw cycles, which expands and cracks the pavement.
- Utility works: Poorly repaired utility excavations can lead to weakened surfaces that develop into potholes.
- Climate: The UK's climate makes it more susceptible to potholes.
- Heavy traffic: The UK's roads carry much higher traffic loads than most other countries.
Heavy traffic cities, like London, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, and Cardiff, are likely to have more potholes. Regions with more extreme weather, like Scotland and Northern Wales, are also more susceptible.
Different materials that are common use for road construction, concrete being one of the most durable but it can be prohibitively expensive as well as more difficult and costly to maintain than asphalt. There are several bitumen/asphalt road types, each consisting of layers of different materials topped with the familiar black asphalt. But regardless of which materials are used, all road types eventually degrade, and all require maintenance.
As surfaces age, they experience wear due to stress from bearing heavy loads and from friction. When surfaces degrade, damage is exacerbated by exposure to extremes of heat and cold and by moisture penetration. Once water gets into the material, repeated freezing and thawing degrades the road further. Loosened material is dislodged and dispersed by traffic, and potholes form.
In 2023 the cost of pothole damage to our cars was around a staggering £474 million.
Roads in England and Wales are at "breaking point" due to potholes, with repairs at an eight-year high, according to a new report from The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) they said “councils were expected to fix two million potholes in the current financial year”.
The AIA's annual report found that 47% of local road miles were rated as being in a good condition, with 36% adequate and 17% poor.
The survey also found that average highway maintenance budgets increased by 2.3% in the 2023-24 financial year compared with the previous 12 months.
But the impact of rising costs due to inflation meant local authorities "effectively experienced a real-terms cut".
Meanwhile, the amount needed to fix the backlog of local road repairs has reached a record £16.3bn, up 16% from £14bn a year ago.
AIA chairman Rick Green said: "Local authorities have a bit more money to spend this year but the impact of rising costs due to inflation means they have actually been able to do less with it.
"Couple this with the effects of the extreme weather we are increasingly facing, and the result is that the rate at which local roads are suffering is accelerating towards breaking point."
In October 2023, the government announced it would provide the £8.3bn of extra funding for local road improvements in England.
Depending on their size, potholes can cause significant damage to vehicles and pose a danger motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
Although small potholes rarely cause major accidents, if a vehicle hits a lot of them over time, it can lead to damage to the tyres, suspension and steering system.
Mr Green said: "There's still a mountain to climb when it comes to fixing our local roads.
"While it's great that English local authorities should be getting more money from the government through its Network North funding, it's clearly not going to be enough to halt the decline."
AA president Edmund King added: "Our breakdown data showed that 2023 was the worst year for potholes for five years.
"Arguably the road network is a local council's biggest asset, but not enough planned investment and repairs are being made to make streets safer and smoother for drivers and those on two wheels."
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the £8.3bn spending pledge was evidence the government was "taking decisive action to resurface roads and fix potholes".
They added: "In addition, we have made £150m available for local authorities right now meaning funding for most authorities has increased by almost a third compared to last year, with a further £150m to follow in the coming financial year."
So what can we do to help reduce them?
Reporting a pothole can help get it repaired quicker, and possibly save other cars from sustaining damage, it could even prevent accidents. As well as reporting to the responsible authority, many sat-nav apps allow you to report issues and thus to warn your fellow motorists of the hazard.
To qualify as a 'pothole', the damage to the road surface usually has to be at least 4 cm in depth.
Making a Claim
If you think you have a genuine basis for a claim, you'll need to find out who is responsible for the roads at the location where the damage to your car occurred. The government website gives details of who bears responsibility for roads in the various regions.
- You will need evidence that damage to your car was caused by the pothole. A written statement from your mechanic saying that, in their opinion, the damage was due to the pothole is a good start. The more evidence you can get, the better the chances of success.
- Photos of the pothole may help but don't trespass on a motorway or stop your car in an unsafe place in order to get pictures. Either one could get you into trouble.
- Give details of the pothole's precise location if at all possible. GPS or the What3words app can help you pin it down with some accuracy.
- Again, don't do anything unsafe or illegal when getting details. If you can't get specific location information, draw a map showing the pothole's location relative to landmarks such as bridges or buildings.
- Include copies of invoices for repair work necessitated by pothole damage
- For a claim to succeed, the organisation must be at fault. If the pothole has been reported and has existed for some time, then you may have good grounds. Very new damage to the road that may not have been reported yet, or that the organisation has not yet had a reasonable opportunity to inspect or repair, may not be sufficient grounds for a claim.
Many of the organisations may be able to send you a claim form. Alternatively, forms are often available for download, so ask about that if it's more convenient for you.
It can be confusing trying to work out exactly who is responsible for many roads: it's not always clear. For this reason, we suggest using the government website.
Contact Moonstone Plates
If you have any questions or would like to buy/sell a number plate, get in touch with our team today and we can help you. Either click here to contact us, give us a call on 01995 213112 or drop us a message on our social media and we would be more than happy to advise and assist you.
