Potholes ‘cost British drivers more than £1bn’

The bill to the taxpayers for repairing potholes has risen to more than £1billion, according to research published today by car servicers Kwik Fit. The figure represents a rise of about a third on the last year, says data firm Walnut.

Separate research by KwikFit also reveals that only £6.9million in compensation has been paid out by local authorities – less than 1 per cent of the total bill for repairs.

However, recent reports suggest that spending on road maintenance is actually rising, and the number of potholes being filled – although often just a short term “patch and repair” job – is up by about a fifth on last year. That could be a result of some exceptionally harsh weather last year, and some catching up on backlogs by local authorities. In last year’s Budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond promised an extra £420million to deal with the problem.

It will be needed because the pothole menace has been increasing. Where once the UK boasted some of the best roads in Europe, it now finds itself some way down the league table. The trend has cost British households dearly – in the year ending March 2016, the equivalent total bill was £684million, meaning that the cost of damage reported by motorists has risen by 77 per cent in just three years.

Almost a third of drivers who have hit a pothole in the last year had their car damaged by the impact, with the most common repairs being to tyres (5.9 million), suspension (3.8 million), wheels (3.7 million), steering (1.7 million), bodywork (1.3 million) and exhausts (1.2 million).

Regionally, Londoners are being hit the hardest, with an overall bill of £204m.

More than half of people travelling on UK roads believe they are worse now compared to a year ago, with 60 per cent saying they are in a poorer state when compared to five years ago. This mirrors the annual report published today by the Asphalt Industry Alliance, which states while a 20 per cent increase in public funds for road networks is welcome and will halt further decline, the one-off catch-up cost to fix UK roads will only continue to rise. Councils would need to spend £9.79bn over 10 years to bring all roads up to standard, the AIA says.

Roger Griggs of Kwik Fit commented: “The cost of damage from potholes is hitting more and more drivers who are continuing to see their cash being spent on issues that are not entirely their fault. Fortunately, this winter has not been as harsh as it has been in recent years, however as we know with the Great British weather, conditions which would further damage our road network could still be round the corner.

“It is worth noting that damage isn’t always immediately noticeable, so motorists should give their car a thorough check when they do hit a pothole.”