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.
Throughout the nation there’s no doubt there are quite a lot of defects on the road. The government is attempting to action to solve this 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.”
Are potholes in the UK taken seriously enough? And is the budget that’s been allocated to tackle this problem enough? 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”.
Join Vindis, which provides Audi servicing as well as plans for many other brands to ensure motorists can make sure their car remains in tip-top condition, as they explore just how bad the UK’s roads are as a result of potholes…
Pothole hotspots throughout the UK
Below is a league table of highway authorities based on how many road hazards which have been reported to them, created by FillThatHole.org.uk 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.
Looking at the table you can tell that all of the authorities that were included had increased the amount of potholes they had 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.
Looking at the figures related to Lancashire in North West England makes it clear to see. The number of potholes that were reported fixed in that area was up 9.47% compared to the summer 2017 figures. While this should be good news, it’s countered by the fact that the total reports in the region increased by 20.33 per cent and the number of open reports was up 23.99 per cent over this same period. Despite their efforts then, Lancashire has actually moved further up FillThatHole.org.uk’s league table!
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