For most UK road users potholes are a daily annoyance, which can be costly and dangerous due to the damaging effect they can have on our cars. According to the latest figures released today (National Pothole Day) by the Pothole Partnership, there was a record £474 million worth of damage done to vehicles on UK roads in 2023.
The AA, which formed the Pothole Partnership, says it dealt with 631,852 pothole-related incidents in 2023, the highest for five years. Those incidents are made up of wheel, tyre, steering and suspension issues caused by hitting potholes.
Edmund King, AA President, said: “Currently, we often have a vicious circle of: pothole formed; damage caused; pothole patched; pothole reappears with more damage caused – when what we need are more permanent repairs. Potholes are the number one concern for 96% of drivers and can be fatal for those on two wheels so hopefully pressure from the Pothole Partnership will lead to permanent repairs.”
The Pothole Partnership includes JCB, which in 2022 revealed its Pothole Pro machine. The JCB Pothole Pro costs around £165,000 but can repair 10,000m² of road – an area equivalent to eight Olympic-sized swimming pools – in just 130 days. Using existing pothole repair methods this would take 1,040 days. JCB says it can also provide a permanent fix.
To help tackle our worsening roads, the Government recently announced that £8.3 billion would be made available for resurfacing, with the funds sourced from scrapped HS2 plans. Conveniently on National Pothole Day, the Government has also said it will crackdown on disruptive roadworks with a ‘Plan for Drivers’ and instil heavier fees for overrunning utility companies that negatively affect UK roads, generating up to £100m in revenue to be put into road resurfacing.
Has your car been damaged by a pothole? Here’s how to make a claim…