The cost of fully fixing the pothole-plagued local roads of England and Wales has reached a new high of almost £17bn, according to the latest industry report.
The record sums required come despite increased government funds to target road repairs – and one pothole being filled every 18 seconds.
The report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which surveys local authorities in England and Wales annually to monitor the state of the network, found almost one-sixth of local roads – the equivalent of almost 35,000 miles – would need re-laying within five years.
David Giles, the chair of the AIA, said: “Almost all (94%) local authority highway teams reported that, in their opinion, there has been no improvement to their local network over the last year.”
The AIA’s annual local authority road maintenance (Alarm) report said local authorities would have required an extra £7.4m each last year to prevent further deterioration, with 1.9m potholes filled in at a cost of £137.4m.
The report calculated that £16.8bn would now be required, as a one-off, for local authorities to bring the network up to their “ideal” conditions.
Cold and wet weather, heavy traffic, wear and tear, and poor road construction all contribute to potholes.
Motoring organisations said the figures underscored a “bleak picture” for drivers – after the AA previously reported as many as one in three had suffered pothole damage to vehicles.
The AA president, Edmund King, said the report showed attempts to tackle the pothole epidemic were “two steps forward, three steps back”, adding: “The UK is nowhere close to getting out of this rut.”
The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “These figures paint a bleak picture and confirm what a majority of drivers have known for a long time – that, in far too many parts of the country, road surfaces are simply not fit for purpose. The lack of investment in our roads is a false economy as it just leads to bigger repair costs in the future – something local authorities can ill-afford.”
In a separate survey, the repair company Kwik Fit estimated that total costs for motorists from pothole damage to vehicles last year were £1.7bn, with an average bill of £144.
after newsletter promotion
Nicholas Lyes, director of the road safety charity Iam RoadSmart, said: “Potholes are an expensive headache for drivers, but for those on two wheels they pose a serious road safety hazard.”
The Local Government Association’s transport spokesperson, councillor Adam Hug, said: “It is no surprise to councils that the local roads repair backlog continues to rise, given inflation and huge demand pressures on local government statutory services.
“The funding increase in the last budget was positive and must now be followed by a commitment in the spending review to a long-term financial package to tackle this backlog and put it into reverse.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “For too long, this country has suffered from a pothole plague, which is why we’re investing £1.6bn to help local authorities resurface local roads and fix the equivalent of up to 7m extra potholes over the next financial year.”
