Potholes appear to be a problem for drivers across the UK that just won’t go away, especially if the results of a new report by the RAC is anything to go on.
According to the organisation’s figures, the RAC has dealt with over 6,500 breakdown jobs between January and March 2017 which were likely attributable to poor road surfaces. The last time that so many pothole-related breakdowns were recorded in a three-month period was in the first quarter of 2015 (almost 6,900 breakdowns were recorded then). However, in the early months of 2015, the country was subjected to more days of frost and rainfall when compared to the first three months of 2017, when the nation experienced mild and moderately dry conditions.
David Bizley, a Chief Engineer at the RAC, commented: “Our figures sadly show a surprising and unwelcome first quarter rise in the number of breakdowns where the poor quality of the road surface was a major factor. We had expected a figure no worse than that recorded in the first quarter of 2016 (4,026) and it is very concerning that the roads, strangely, appear to have deteriorated in a mild, comparatively dry winter.”
So, this leads us to ask the question, just how bad are the UK’s roads when it comes to potholes? VW service provider Inchcape Volkswagen, which offers aftersales services, MOTs and repairs to solve issues such as wheel misalignment and suspension damage, explores…
Pothole hotspots
The following table is the top ten places of a league table of highway authorities that FillThatHole.org.uk has compiled. It is based on the number of road hazards which were reported to them:
| Position | Authority | Region | Total reports | Open reports | Fixed reports | Percentage fixed |
| 1 | Surrey | South East England | 7,657 | 6,473 | 1,149 | 15% |
| 2 | Hampshire | South East England | 4,133 | 3,241 | 849 | 21% |
| 3 | Essex | South East England | 3,804 | 2,912 | 878 | 23% |
| 4 | Hertfordshire | South East England | 3,557 | 3,004 | 530 | 15% |
| 5 | Kent | South East England | 3,478 | 3,105 | 364 | 10% |
| 6 | Lancashire | North West England | 3,301 | 2,484 | 792 | 24% |
| 7 | Oxfordshire | South East England | 3,245 | 2,225 | 985 | 31% |
| 8 | Glasgow | Scotland | 3,059 | 2,444 | 601 | 20% |
| 9 | Cheshire East | North West England | 2,980 | 2,110 | 787 | 27% |
| 10 | West Sussex | South East England | 2,845 | 2,034 | 783 | 28% |
This is how the top ten places of FillThatHole.org.uk’s league table looks when ranked on open reports though:
| Position | Authority | Region | Open reports | Total reports | Fixed reports | Percentage fixed |
| 1 | Surrey | South East England | 6,473 | 7,657 | 1,149 | 15% |
| 2 | Hampshire | South East England | 3,241 | 4,133 | 849 | 21% |
| 3 | Kent | South East England | 3,105 | 3,479 | 364 | 10% |
| 4 | Hertfordshire | South East England | 3,004 | 3,557 | 530 | 15% |
| 5 | Essex | South East England | 2,912 | 3,804 | 878 | 23% |
| 6 | Lancashire | North West England | 2,484 | 3,301 | 792 | 24% |
| 7 | Glasgow | Scotland | 2,444 | 3,059 | 601 | 20% |
| 8 | Buckinghamshire | South East England | 2,399 | 2,754 | 343 | 13% |
| 9 | Oxfordshire | South East England | 2,225 | 3,245 | 985 | 31% |
| 10 | Devon | South West England | 2,114 | 2,519 | 385 | 15% |
Frequency of potholes being filled in
According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey 2017, the average number of potholes filled in 2016/17 per local authority across England was 13,468.
The top ten authorities ranked on fixed reports in FillThatHole.org.uk’s league table is as follows:
| Position | Authority | Region | Fixed reports | Total reports | Open reports | Percentage fixed |
| 1 | York | Yorkshire & Humber | 1,187 | 1,341 | 151 | 89% |
| 2 | Surrey | South East England | 1,149 | 7,657 | 6,473 | 15% |
| 3 | Bristol | South West England | 1,094 | 1,475 | 199 | 85% |
| 4 | Oxfordshire | South East England | 985 | 3,245 | 2,225 | 31% |
| 5 | Cheshire West & Chester | North West England | 913 | 1,252 | 30 | 97% |
| 6 | Essex | South East England | 878 | 3,804 | 2,912 | 23% |
| 7 | Northumberland | North East England | 869 | 1,123 | 5 | 99% |
| 8 | Hampshire | South East England | 849 | 4,133 | 3,241 | 21% |
| 9 | Islington | London | 825 | 985 | 0 | 100% |
| 10 | Lancashire | North West England | 792 | 3,301 | 2,484 | 24% |
Number of drivers reporting damage in the past 12 months (ranked by region)
| Region | Number of drivers |
| South East England | 941k |
| London | 733k |
| South West England | 721k |
| Yorkshire & Humber | 720k |
| North West England | 687k |
| West Midlands | 609k |
| Scotland | 521k |
| Eastern England | 457k |
| East Midlands | 365k |
| North East England | 343k |
| Wales | 201k |
Average cost to repair pothole damage (ranked by region)
| Region | Average cost |
| Eastern England | £163.68 |
| South East England | £124.93 |
| London | £124.65 |
| Yorkshire & Humber | £120.00 |
| South West England | £119.01 |
| Scotland | £109.02 |
| West Midlands | £87.59 |
| North West England | £87.01 |
| East Midlands | £86.33 |
| North East England | £72.66 |
| Wales | £61.83 |
Structural road condition percentage split in England
- Percentage of roads across England in good condition (i.e. they have 15 years or more residual life remaining) — 53 per cent.
- Percentage of roads across England in adequate condition (i.e. they have between five and 15 years’ residual life remaining) — 30 per cent.
- Percentage of roads across England in poor condition (i.e. they have less than five years’ residual life remaining) — 17 per cent.
Sources:
www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/pothole-related-breakdowns-up-despite-mild-weather/
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/15/pothole-damage-cars-soars-two-thirds-despite-dry-mild-winter/
www.asphaltuk.org/wp-content/uploads/ALARM-2017.pdf
www.fillthathole.org.uk/league-table?sort=desc&order=Total+Reports
