Ministers are being urged to reverse Britain’s widening pothole crisis after it emerged that incidents are on track to hit a six-year high.
A whopping 479,656 callouts for pothole-related breakdowns have been recorded by the AA so far this year – an increase of nearly 10,000 on the same period in 2023.
Last year’s total of 631,852 was the highest for five years and incidents tend to rise during wetter months as potholes get masked by puddles, suggesting this year’s annual total is likely to be the highest since 2018.
Last month also saw the highest number of incidents recorded of any September since 2017, marking a 2% increase on the same month last year.
Potholes cost the economy around £14.4 billion a year in damage, accidents, wasted time and increased emissions, the Centre for Economics and Business Research think-tank found earlier this year.
Just last Wednesday, mechanics in Shepperton, Surrey, said their garage dealt with 58 cars damaged by a single ‘gigantic pothole’ on the M25.
They included a BMW driven by Tessa Pearson, 69, and her partner Graham, 73, who spent six hours stranded on a hard shoulder and had to fork out £525 for two new tyres and four wheel realignments.
Repairs for pothole damage cost each driver around £250 on average, according to analysis by the Labour Party released in June.
A scathing 2023 Cycling Weekly report found six cyclists were killed and 112 seriously injured due to defective road surfaces between 2017 and 2021.
Even pedestrians fall victim to potholes, as attested by 57-year-old Darren Lucas who said he is still suffering today after tripping over a shallow 10ft-long crater in a lane outside his home in Abergavenny in 2022.
The grandad-of-four had to relearn to walk after his spine was broken in three places and says he’s ‘still in a lot of pain’ due to nerve damage ‘all over’ his body.
During the general election, Labour pledged to put aside £8.6 billion additional council funding over the next five years to fix broken roads.
The Pothole Partnership – which includes the AA, National Motorcyclists Council, British Cycling and JCB – called on the government to deliver on its manifesto commitments as soon as possible.
Edmund King, AA President, said: ‘Recently we have seen an increase in vehicle pothole damage as the heavy rain means puddles hide the potholes.
‘The current Government knows that all road users are fed up with potholes and has the opportunity to make a step change in the spiral of decline by adopting and advocating measures to permanently fix the problem rather than the past patchwork approach.
‘It is costing drivers a fortune but tragically costing lives for those on two wheels.’
Caroline Julian, External Affairs Director, British Cycling, added:‘We know from our members that potholes are a longstanding and ongoing frustration and concern. They have tragic and fatal consequences that cannot be ignored.
‘If we’re serious about fulfilling our ambitions to get more people cycling, we simply must ensure that our roads are safe and comfortable for them to ride on, and not the crater-filled carriageways they currently face.’
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