Pothole ‘plague’ to worsen, with roads resurfaced once a century

THE “plague” of potholes blighting our roads is likely to get worse after a survey found that local roads will be resurfaced just once every 92 years on average.

Experts recommend that roads are resurfaced every 10 to 20 years, but some roads are expected to last 132 years, based on current council plans.

MPS have now launched a parliamentary investigation into the state of our roads, warning that many are already in an “extreme state of disrepair”.

Potholes are said to have contributed to the deaths of 22 cyclists since 2007 as well as costing motorists millions in repair bills. The AA, which lobbied the Commons transport select committee to carry out the inquiry, cited a report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance, which found there had been a “marked decrease in road surfacing frequency”.

It carried out a survey of councils in England and Wales, asking them how much resurfacing they had done in the past year and then using that figure to calculate how long it would take them to do every local road.

In 2016-17, councils expected roads to be resurfaced every 55 years on average, but by 2017-18 work had slowed dramatically, making the average once every 92 years. In England, principal roads are scheduled for resurfacing every 43 years. The figure is every 63 years for non-principal roads and every 132 years for unclassified roads.

Lilian Greenwood, chairman of the select committee, said: “This plague of potholes represents a major headache for all of us. Our inquiry aims to investigate the situation in England, including current funding constraints and potential alternative models that could offer a solution.”

Edmund King, president of the AA, said local roads have “deteriorated at a shocking rate”, adding: “Our patrols are attending record numbers of pothole related breakdowns and insurers are already feeling the strain.”