One third of local roads to fail within next five years

More than half (52%) of local roads in England and Wales – equivalent to around 106,000 miles – have less than 15 years of structural life remaining, new research suggests.

Furthermore, the figures, from this year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (Alarm) survey report, show almost a third of these – 34,600 miles or one in sixth of the total – may only have up to five years of life left. 

Local roads are, on average, being resurfaced once every 93 years, with the backlog of carriageway repairs in England and Wales reaching new heights at almost £17 billion.

David Giles, chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which commissions the Alarm survey, said: “Over £20bn has been spent on carriageway maintenance in England and Wales over the last decade, including spending to fill the equivalent of one pothole every 18 seconds, every day, for 10 years. 

“However, due partly to the short-term nature of the allocation of funding, it has resulted in no quantifiable uplift in the condition and resilience of the network. 

“In fact, 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: a view no doubt shared by the majority of road users.” 

The Alarm survey, which relates to the 2024/25 financial year, show that in England and Wales Local authorities would have needed an extra £7.4 million each last year to maintain their network to their own target conditions and prevent further deterioration, equating to £16.8bn.

Over the past three decades Alarm has reported a repeated pattern of short-term cash injections in an effort to stem the accelerating decline in road conditions, followed by longer periods of cuts and underfunding.

The survey also found that 24,400 miles (12%) of the network are likely to need some form of maintenance in the next 12 months and just 1.5% of the local road network was resurfaced in the last year, with 1.9 million potholes filled at a cost of £137.4 million. 

“There needs to be a complete change in mindset away from short-term to longer term funding commitments,” added Giles. 

“Local authorities do their best with the resources available. Nevertheless, they have told us they need their budgets to more than double for the next five to 10 years if they are going to be able to address the backlog of repairs. 

“That is why we are calling on Government, particularly now with a Comprehensive Spending Review ahead, to set a minimum five-year funding horizon and a substantial, sustained increase in investment with budgets ring-fenced specifically for local roads maintenance. 

“Investing in local roads would allow authorities to plan and provide better value for money for taxpayers and deliver a more resilient network while helping kickstart the Government’s economic growth plans.” 

The Alarm survey reports local road funding and conditions in England and Wales based on information provided directly by those responsible for the maintenance of the network. 

This year’s survey, the 30th, received a record 78% response rate from local authorities.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Once again, these figures paint a bleak picture of the state of the nation’s roads 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 future – something local authorities can ill-afford. 

“In the meantime, all road users continue to pay the price with uncomfortable journeys, avoidable breakdowns and repair bills that they only incur because potholes are so bad.”

IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards, Nicholas Lyes, agreed. “The AIA’s report lays bare the inadequate repairs happening on our local roads, where despite spending billions on filling potholes, the backlog costs are increasing,” he said. 

“Potholes are an expensive headache for drivers but for those on two wheels they pose a serious road safety hazard. 

“Moreover, if drivers are swerving to avoid them, they are risking a collision.” 

He added: “While filling a pothole provides temporary respite and a brief improvement in the safety of the road surface, it is essentially a sticking plaster because the section will crumble away under the weight of traffic and from the effects of a cold winter. 

“We need to start properly resurfacing our roads to ensure we’re not throwing good money at bad roads, but most importantly to ensure smooth and safe journeys.” 

Damage to cars caused by potholes hits £1.7bn

Separate analysis from Kwik Fit shows that damage to vehicles caused by potholes is on the rise, with repairs to cars last year estimated to cost drivers collectively £1.7bn.

The level of damage is monitored annually by Kwik Fit its Pit (Pothole Impact Tracker) report. 

Its latest research has found that the average repair bill faced by drivers is the highest since the company began tracking the cost in 2013.  

Drivers having to repair damage from potholes over the last twelve months had to fork out an average of £144 – up from £120 in the previous year.

It found that as well as the average repair cost going up, there was an increase in the number of drivers facing the highest bills.  

During the last year, over one million drivers have stumped up more than £300.

Kwik Fit’s data includes all cars suffering pothole damage, not just those which have to be recovered from the roadside, but also those which can be driven to a garage. 

The most commonly damaged components over the last year were tyres (38% of repairs), suspension (28%) and wheels (22%). 

With advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) becoming commonplace on vehicles, potholes are having a knock-on effect beyond the immediate components damaged by the impact. 

Almost half (48%) of cars needing repairs also needed wheel alignment and a third (34%) required the ADAS system to be recalibrated, adding further cost.

Dan Joyce, operations director at Kwik Fit, said: “It’s concerning to see that the downward trend of the last two years has gone into reverse in the latest figures. 

“The main components which bear the bulk of the damage – tyres and wheels, suspension and steering - are interlinked. 

“Even if a car is driveable after hitting a pothole, the impact may have compromised its handling, as can be seen by the fact that many drivers have had to have vital ADAS technology recalibrated. 

“Not only do potholes present an immediate risk at the time of impact, they can have a longer term effect on its safety on the road.” 

The Government allocated £1.6bn for pothole repairs in England and Wales last year, saying that the increase in road maintenance funding is enough to fix the equivalent of over seven million extra potholes in 2025/26.