Worst summer for pothole breakdowns in fifteen years

THE dire state of England’s roads was laid bare last night by figures on pothole-related breakdowns.

Between July and September, the RAC attended 1,810 car failures caused by potholes – the highest third quarter for 15 years.

This is despite the fact that traffic was below pre-pandemic levels for most of the year. Cars suffered problems including broken suspension springs, distorted wheels and damaged shock absorbers.

The second half of the year is normally quiet for potholerelated breakdowns because repairs are carried out in spring and summer.

According to the RAC’s Pothole Index, drivers are nearly 1.5 times more likely to break down after hitting a pothole today than they were when it first started collecting the data in 2006. An RAC survey also found that the poor condition of local roads was one of four top concerns for 46 per cent of motorists this year, up from 38 per cent last year.

And 58 per cent of drivers believe local road conditions where they live have deteriorated over the past year, up from 52 per cent in 2020.

RAC’s head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: ‘With Government data showing weekday car traffic is still not quite back to pre-pandemic levels, it’s very worrying that our patrols are still attending a higher proportion of pothole-related call-outs in relation to all the breakdowns they go out to’.

He said the findings suggested ‘little progress has been made in the last 12 months in improving road surfaces for drivers’. He added: ‘Traditionally, the spring and summer months give authorities a chance to repair and improve roads, but unfortunately it seems many roads remain in a perilous state.’

The Department for Transport earlier this month said up to 50 per cent of local, or ‘unclassified’, roads were cracked and pothole-ridden in some areas of the country. These roads account for 60 per cent of those in the UK.

In last month’s Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced £8billion for filling millions of potholes, resurfacing roads, repairing bridges and upgrading key A roads.