Record rise in pothole breakdowns as roads `resemble…

Britain’s roads are like ‘the surface of the moon’ after a record rise in pothole-related breakdowns, according to the RAC. 

The automotive services company received 4,694 call-outs for vehicles likely damaged by potholes between January and March.

That was a three-fold increase on the total of 1,461 during the final three months of last year, representing the breakdown rescue firm’s largest rise between quarters.

Some 2.4 per cent of all call-outs attended by its patrols between January and March were for pothole-related issues such as distorted wheels, broken suspension springs or damaged shock absorbers.

The automotive services company received 4,694 call-outs for vehicles likely damaged by potholes between January and March (file photo of a car passing over a pothole)

RAC head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, described many roads as being in a ‘desperate state’, which indicates that some councils are ‘simply patching up potholes rather than fixing them properly’.

He added: ‘Many drivers are finding themselves having to use roads that in places better resemble the surface of the moon.’

Mr Lyes said the particularly cold start to the year caused ‘extensive damage’, as potholes are formed by water seeping into cracks and expanding when frozen.

It was the coldest January across the UK since 2010, with an average temperature of just 2.2C (40F), according to the Met Office.

Mr Lyes also reiterated calls to give local authorities ring-fenced funds over a five-year period for longer-term road maintenance, urging the Government and councils to ‘commit to doing something differently’.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: ‘Despite the pandemic, councils have been working hard to repair our roads, fixing a pothole every 19 seconds as well as supporting an increase in other infrastructure through temporary road measures.

RAC head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, described many roads as being in a ‘desperate state’, which indicates that some councils are ‘simply patching up potholes rather than fixing them properly (file photo)

‘Councils want to continue to improve our roads and deliver the infrastructure improvements that allow people to move around in less carbon-intensive and more sustainable ways.’

A report by trade body the Asphalt Industry Alliance published last month stated that councils in England and Wales would need to spend a total of £10billion over a decade to bring all their pothole-plagued roads up to scratch.

Additionally, a study from March suggested that average repair bills linked to vehicle damage caused by potholes costs more than £140, with more than one in ten having to hand over in excess of £250 to have their motor fixed.

Almost a third of all motorists polled by Citroen UK said they have had to take their car to a garage to be fixed after clattering through a pothole in the past.

In a survey of 2,000 UK drivers, 32 per cent said their car had been damaged after hitting a pothole. 

The average repair cost for the damage was £141.95, although 11 per cent of the licence holders polled said they had spent more than £251 on getting their car back on the road.

Nearly a quarter of those with vehicle damage said they had tried to claim back the cost of the repairs from their local council, while 42 per cent of the motorists quizzed said they wished their vehicle had better suspension to help deal with the rougher roads in the UK.

Meanwhile, Cornwall was named the pothole capital of the UK in November 2020, with 210,000 reported over the course of three years.

Freedom of Information requests to 408 local authorities in the UK – 343 in England, 32 in Scotland, 22 in Wales and 11 in Northern Ireland – found that Cornwall Council had the most potholes reported to it. 

But Lancashire staked the claim for Britain’s worst crater, with a five-foot pit deep enough to fit a grown man inside.

Aron Cross, who owns Parson Lee Farm Glamping, reported a hole in Keighley Road, Wycoller, to Lancashire County Council’s Highway department in 2019. 

A photograph of Mr Cross’ six-foot son Lewis, 27, showed how he fit inside it. 

Kensington & Chelsea London Borough Council reported the fewest potholes, with just 141 in the past three years. 

Lancashire staked the claim for Britain’s worst crater, with a five-foot pit deep enough to fit a grown man (pictured above) inside

A dog is pictured next to a section of the road that slipped away last year after flooding in Lancashire