The pothole problem – is it being addressed?

Potholes are an issue on the roads that drivers are all too familiar with. It is leading to poor road surfaces and many accidents. According to the RAC, this is a UK-wide problem that saw over 6,500 breakdowns reported to them between the months of January and March 2017. Over that three-month period, the RAC suggested those breakdowns were likely to be a result of the poor road conditions across the UK.

In the first quarter of 2015, almost 6,900 breakdowns were recorded – this was put down to the harsh winter, as the roads were subject to more days of frost and rainfall than usual. In 2017 however, the nation experienced moderately mild and dry conditions and there was no apparent reason for a high number of potholes.

Inchcape Volkswagen, who deal with VW service, MOTs and repairs, give us an insight into potholes on the UK’s roads and the extent to which the problem is being dealt with.

A comment from David Bizley, chief engineer at the RAC, reads: "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."

Pothole ranking by location

The number of potholes in each region of the UK varies. The table below is a ranking of the top ten locations in the league table based on reports in FillThatHole.org.

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%

When looking at locations where pothole reports remain open, there is a shift in some rankings which can be seen in the table below.

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%

Are the potholes being filled?

The average number of potholes filled in 2016/17 per 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 reports of potholes by drivers (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

The average cost of repairing damage caused by potholes (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

The condition of England’s roads

• Percentage of roads across England in poor condition (i.e. they have less than five years’ residual life remaining) — 17 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 good condition (i.e. they have 15 years or more residual life remaining) — 53 per cent.

Sources:

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/pothole-related-breakdowns-up-despite-mild-weather/

*RAC data reported on at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/15/pothole-damage-cars-soars-two-thirds-despite-dry-mild-winter/

http://www.asphaltuk.org/wp-content/uploads/ALARM-2017.pdf

https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/league-table?sort=desc&order=Total+Reports

I've worked in online marketing for a number of years, and pen articles on a variety of subjects.