Nearly one million potholes were reported across the UK between January and November 2024 – but has your car ever been damaged by a cavity in the road?
According to figures revealed through a Freedom of Information Act, local authorities received an average of 3,122 reports of potholes each day between January and November 2024. In total, 952,064 potholes were reported over the 11-month period.
The UK pothole epidemic has previously been shown to be a nightmare for drivers and small businesses alike, with the latter forking out thousands to fix damage caused by potholes. Research from the Federation of Small Businesses shows that almost half (47%) of all UK small businesses say they have been negatively impacted by potholes – with up to one in six businesses facing bills above £500.
In one area of the UK, furious villagers have even erected their own warning due to the horrific state of their roads, labelling the area ‘Pothole Land’. The fed-up residents in the Ceiriog Valley, near Wrexham, created their own theme park-style entrance to make people aware of the hazardous road conditions, which they claim are up to ten inches deep.
Drivers in the area say the potholes are leaving them with expensive repair bills and the “elephant traps” are among the “deepest in Wales.” One woman said: “Road taxes and council tax astronomical up here. What do we get in return? Forgotten about.”
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Analysis from non-profit Round Our Way highlighted that conditions that create potholes – water, traffic and freeze-thaw cycles – can be made worse by extreme weather due to climate change.
Dr Benyi Cao, lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Surrey, said: “Climate change is having a significant impact on the state of our roads, with severe weather accelerating damage and increasing the prevalence of potholes.
“In northern parts of the UK, for example, warmer winters driven by climate change are leading to more frequent freeze-thaw cycles. This process, where water enters small cracks, freezes, expands, and then thaws, causes extensive weakening of road surfaces. Combined with heavier rainfall and fluctuating temperatures, these effects are placing unprecedented stress on our road infrastructure.”
The amount to bring pothole areas in England and Wales up to scratch is estimated to be £16.3billion. The Department for Transport has said it will make sure highway authorities “spend the money wisely” and deliver “proactive maintenance” before potholes form.
Sofie Jenkinson, Co-Director of Round our Way, said: “The scale of the pothole problem on UK roads is becoming critical, meaning that getting from A to B is becoming more difficult for all of us. The impact of extreme weather can only add to concerns that we are not prepared for the impact of climate change on this crucial part of our nation’s infrastructure.
“Not only do we need to see immediate response to the increased amount of potholes on our roads, from continued funding through to improved road surfaces but we need politicians to take the cause of increased extreme weather due to climate change seriously – taking action to reduce emissions and secure clean energy sources for the future to ensure these impacts don’t continue to become more frequent and more damaging.”
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