The ongoing issue with potholes in the UK
Potholes seems to be an ongoing headache for all drivers across the UK. It’s a problem that doesn’t seem to go away, especially if the results of a new report by the RAC is anything to go on.
The poor road surfaces across the UK seem to be the cause behind over 6,500 breakdowns between just January and March 2017 alone! The organisation’s figures show that the last time that so many pothole-related breakdowns were recorded in a three-month period was in the first quarter of 2015. However, in the early months of 2015, the country was exposed to wet and frosty weather conditions which could have contributed to the breakdowns. This is in comparison to the first three months of 2017, when the nation experienced mild and moderately dry conditions.
When asked to comment, David Bizley, a chief engineer at the RAC, said: “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.”
The question is: just how bad are the UK’s potholes? VW service provider Inchcape Volkswagen, which offers thorough aftersales services, MOTs and repairs to solve issues such as wheel misalignment and suspension damage, explores which locations seem to be the most hazardous in the UK.
Pothole hazardous locations
The following table reveals the top ten locations that FillThatHole.org.uk consider to be the most hazardous, 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% |
Fixing potholes
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% |
In the past 12 months, the number of pothole reports were:
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:
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 |
How do UK locations differ on road conditions?
- 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.