With National Pothole Day having been marked on 15th January 2025, it is perhaps an apposite moment for many transport consultants across the UK to reflect on the situation for potholes in the country right now, and the actions being taken to combat this issue.
The UK Government observed the day by sending Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood to the JCB Factory outside Derby, to see how cutting-edge technology is helping local councils address the continuing pothole problem.
One such innovative solution is JCB’s own “pothole pro”, a machine capable of fixing a pothole in eight minutes, and which 20 local authorities are presently using.
However, the figures tell their own story about the lingering seriousness of the pothole crisis – even amid the Government’s recent announcement that it would invest £1.6 billion to fix as many as seven million more potholes across England this year.
Just how bad have the UK’s problems with potholes become?
For insights into this topic, it is well worth consulting the 2024 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey Report. This independent survey of local authority highway departments in England and Wales, as commissioned by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), provides a snapshot of the general condition of the local road network.
It was revealed through this research that an estimated £16.3 billion was required in order to rectify the backlog of road repairs.
In the meantime, drivers are continuing to shoulder the financial cost of the country’s inadequately maintained roads. Vehicle users have already spent £9.5 billion on repairs caused by pothole-related damage between 2018 and 2024.
Last year alone, pothole damage hit motorists in the pocket to the tune of £1.48 billion – a 61% rise since 2018. This was a slight improvement on the situation in 2023, when the costs were £1.67 billion.
However, the figures show that pothole-related damage remains a significant concern for vehicle users, the average repair bill for such issues having been £120 in 2024. Last year saw more than 660,000 car owners incur costs of over £300.
What steps are being taken to bring the pothole crisis to an end?
Shortly before Christmas, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed it would allocate the aforementioned £1.6 billion in funding to highways authorities across England, to enable them to fill potholes and repair roads.
It was also announced, however, that a quarter of this allocation would be contingent on local authorities demonstrating they had effectively utilised the funding they had already received. This approach is intended to provide local authorities with an incentive to spend responsibly and carry out proactive maintenance on roads in their areas.
The learned society the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) has voiced its support for this heightened funding, which it said echoed its previous calls for greater funding for local highway maintenance.
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