AA calls on Government to limit temporary pothole repairs

Pothole-related breakdowns are on the rise, with more vehicles suffering punctures and damaged wheels, steering and suspension, according to the AA.

It is reporting that callouts to vehicles damaged by poor road surfaces have increased by 2% so far this year compared to the same period last year.

Last month, there were 50,244 incidents, data from the latest AA Pothole Index, shows, which was the highest September on record since 2017 (50,418).

The Pothole Partnership, which includes the AA, JCB, British Cycling and the National Motorcyclists Council, is calling on the Government to deliver on its pothole manifesto commitments.

It says that pothole damage to vehicles has hit a five-year high, with the pothole crisis is costing the economy in England alone an estimated £14.4 billion per year.

Previous research shows that the AA dealt with 631,852 pothole related incidents in 2023, the highest for five years.

The Pothole Partnership will be meeting with the future roads minister later this month (October) to present a five-point plan to help tackle the issue.

It wants local authorities to limit the practice of temporary pothole repairs or patches and, where possible, every pothole or patch to be repaired permanently, to adhere to UK-wide repair and inspection standards, and report annually on the repairs undertaken.

It also wants the Government to demonstrate greater urgency by accelerating and increasing spending of the £8.3bn pothole funding for England in the first three years – with total clarity on the distribution to local authorities, as well as central and local government to guarantee ringfencing of all road maintenance funding to help deliver innovations that enable permanent repairs.

Furthermore, it is calling for full transparency from local authorities on their roads repair backlog, categorised by potholes, patching works and road resurfacing.

Edmund King, AA president, said: “Recently we have seen an increase in vehicle pothole damage as the heavy rain means puddles hide the potholes.

“The current Government knows that all road users are fed up with potholes and has the opportunity to make a step change in the spiral of decline by adopting and advocating measures to permanently fix the problem rather than the past patchwork approach. 

“It is costing drivers a fortune but tragically costing lives for those on two wheels.”

The RAC recently revealed that more than a quarter of drivers (27%) say their vehicle has suffered damage as a result of potholes in the past 12 months, a figure which rises to 32% among those who live in rural areas.

Punctures (47%) were the most common problem reported, followed by wheel damage (43%) and broken suspension springs (29%).

The latter two problems can be particularly expensive, with RAC data showing that the average cost of repairing a family car costing anything up to £460.

Prior to the election a survey of more than 11,000 AA members found that the top transport issue for 96% of drivers was increased investment in repairing and upgrading the roads.

The Pothole Partnership is also supported by TyreSafe, IAM RoadSmart and British Motorcyclists Federation.