Vindis explores just how bad the UK’s roads are as a result of potholes
Head out for a drive somewhere in the UK and there is a good chance that you’ll come across at least one pothole during your journey from A to B.
The government is attempting to take action to solve the number of these road defects that we encounter throughout the nation though, with Chancellor Philip Hammond announcing during the 2018 Budget that local councils will be allocated £420 million during this financial year so that they can attempt to fix potholes in their constituency — this is on top of an existing fund that is made up of close to £300 million.
Commenting after Mr Hammond’s budget announcement, money.co.uk’s Editor in Chief Hannah Maundrell said: “£420 million to tackle potholes might seem like throwing big money at a relatively minor issue, but it’s a common problem for many drivers who have to fork out cash because their cars are damaged by poor roads.
“This will be welcome news too for insurance companies who foot a large chunk of the bill.”
Should potholes across the UK be seen as a more major issue in general though? Also, just how far will the funds go to solving the problem? After all, the Asphalt Industry Alliance’s chairman Rick Green pointed out in March following a local authority survey that “more than £8 billion would be needed to carry out a one-time catch up to bring local roads in England up to scratch”.
Pothole hotspots throughout the UK
FillThatHole.org.uk has put together a league table of highway authorities based on the number of road hazards which have been reported to them. Here’s a look at the top ten places currently in this table, as well as how the stats have changed since the summer of 2017…
| Position | Authority | Region | Total reports | Open reports | Fixed reports | Percentage fixed |
| 1
(= to 2017) |
Surrey | South East England | 8,732
(up 14.04% from 2017) |
7,455
(up 15.17% from 2017) |
1,240
(up 7.92% from 2017) |
14%
(down 1 percentage point from 2017) |
| 2
(= to 2017) |
Hampshire | South East England | 4,712
(up 14.01% from 2017) |
3,759
(up 15.98% from 2017) |
906
(up 6.71% from 2017) |
19%
(down 2 percentage points from 2017) |
| 3
(= to 2017) |
Essex | South East England | 4,130
(up 8.57% from 2017) |
3,209
(up 10.2% from 2017) |
906
(up 3.19% from 2017) |
22%
(down 1 percentage point from 2017) |
| 4
(= to 2017) |
Hertfordshire | South East England | 4,052
(up 13.92% from 2017) |
3,423
(up 13.95% from 2017) |
604
(up 13.96% from 2017) |
15%
(equal to 2017) |
| 5
(up 1 place from 2017) |
Lancashire | North West England | 3,972
(up 20.33% from 2017) |
3,080
(up 23.99% from 2017) |
867
(up 9.47% from 2017) |
22%
(down 2 percentage points from 2017) |
| 6
(down 1 place from 2017) |
Kent | South East England | 3,857
(up 10.9% from 2017) |
3,472
(up 11.82% from 2017) |
376
(up 3.3% from 2017) |
10%
(equal to 2017) |
| 7
(= to 2017) |
Oxfordshire | South East England | 3,663
(up 12.88% from 2017) |
2,618
(up 17.66% from 2017) |
1,009
(up 2.44% from 2017) |
28%
(down 3 percentage points from 2017) |
| 8
(up 1 place from 2017) |
Cheshire East | North West England | 3,452
(up 15.84% from 2017) |
2,556
(up 21.14% from 2017) |
813
(up 3.3% from 2017) |
24%
(down 3 percentage points from 2017) |
| 9
(down 1 place from 2017) |
Glasgow | Scotland | 3,203
(up 4.71% from 2017) |
2,564
(up 4.91% from 2017) |
625
(up 3.99% from 2017) |
20%
(equal to 2017) |
| 10
(no data for 2017) |
Buckinghamshire | South East England | 3,135
(up 13.83% from 2017) |
2,741
(up 14.26% from 2017) |
382
(up 11.37% from 2017) |
12%
(down 1 percentage point from 2017) |
The data gathered above showcases a major headache that is being faced by those attempting to sort out the issue with potholes throughout the UK.
We can see from the figures that all of the 10 authorities covered have increased the number of potholes that they have fixed. However, the number of potholes that have been reported has also increased in each authority. This indicates that there are more new potholes appearing than those tasked with repairing them can keep up with.
This can be seen when looking at the figures related to Lancashire in North West England. The number of fixed pothole reports in that area was up 9.47% when compared to the summer of 2017’s figures. While this should be good news, it’s countered by the fact that the total reports in the region increased by 20.33% and the number of open reports was up 23.99% over this same period. Despite their efforts then, Lancashire has actually moved further up FillThatHole.org.uk’s league table!
There is no doubting that a huge effort will be needed to rid the UK of potholes. It remains to be seen just how far the £420 million that has been provided from the 2018 Budget will go to solve the crisis on the nation’s road network, but hopefully, it’ll be a step in the right direction.
Sources:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1037920/budget-2018-uk-news-update-potholes-roads
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46007351
https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/league-table?sort=desc&order=Total+Reports
