Wet and cold December fuelled Britain’s potholes epidemic
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Wet and cold December fuels Britain’s pothole epidemic, costing motorists millions of pounds in repairs and putting cyclists at risk of injury or death
- In January, Wiltshire Council received the highest number of pothole reports
- Experts say the cold weather and heavy rainfall contributed to the increase
A wet and cold December has exacerbated the pothole epidemic – one municipality received a record number of complaints last month.
Britain had its coldest start to a winter in 12 years, with temperatures dropping to -11C (12F) in December.
Experts say the bitter temperatures followed by above-average rainfall have been a “perfect storm” for potholes.
In January, Wiltshire Council received its highest number of pothole reports ever – almost four times the number in December.
The Daily Mail is campaigning to end the pothole plague, which is costing motorists millions of pounds in repairs, while cyclists are at risk of injury or death.
A wet and cold December has exacerbated the pothole epidemic – one municipality received a record number of complaints last month
AA president Edmund King said: ‘Weather conditions this winter have actually created the perfect storm for creating an extended pothole hazard season.
“Changing winter weather, combinations of rain and periods of freezing temperatures, create the perfect conditions for potholes to form.”
Potholes form when water seeps through cracks in the road and freezes and then thaws. Water expands once it turns to ice, creating a gap in the ground below after it melts.
As more potholes form and vehicles drive over them, the road gets weaker, until it finally collapses and a pothole forms.
While National Highways are responsible for filling gaps on highways and major A-roads, local authorities are running their own networks, but they say their funds are dwindling.
According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance, it would take nine years to clear the backlog.
In January, Wiltshire council received 3,623 pothole reports – almost 120 a day and a 292 per cent increase on the 924 recorded in December.
Caroline Thomas, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said it was “doing everything possible” to tackle the repairs. She added: “Our priority is always to fill potholes to make them safe.”
Experts say the bitter temperatures followed by above-average rainfall have been a “perfect storm” for potholes. Pictured: Cars driving over potholes on Claremont Road in North West London
West Sussex County Council received nearly 7,500 inquiries about potholes and carriageways last month – more than five times the number in January 2022.
A spokesman said it would soon deploy “search and recovery crews” to “proactively make repairs to existing areas where potholes are present.”
The spokesperson added: ‘Between April 2022 and January 2023, around 31,500 potholes have been filled by West Sussex County Council highway teams, representing a £1.5 million investment to keep the county’s roads in good condition. ‘
Giovanni Perretta, who lives in Worthing, West Sussex, says both his car and his van were damaged by massive potholes.
Tradesman Mr Perretta, 32, said: ‘I went over one of the potholes… my tire went up straight away and damage was done to it. The cold weather hasn’t helped – it’s leading to more potholes and more cars getting damaged.’
RAC patrols attended nearly a quarter more breakdown-related breakdowns in the last three months of 2022 than in the previous quarter.
And spokesman Simon Williams said: ‘We expect further potholes to form from now until the end of March. We may see more pits than daffodils this spring.’
We want to find Britain’s biggest pothole and we’ll fix it for FREE!
We want you to nominate the biggest pothole in your neighborhood… and we might come over and fix it for free!
Readers of MailOnline and This is Money can send in photos of the worst potholes near where they live and you’ll automatically be entered into the draw to have it removed permanently.
If a winner is chosen, JCB will send its crater-repairing PotholePro machine to repair it.
Send an email to kuilen@thisismoney.co.uk following the five steps below:
1. Send an email with the subject ‘POTHOLE’.
2. Add an image no larger than 2MB of the pit.
3. Include a brief description of the pothole and how bad you think it is.
4. Tell us where it is, including the street name and the nearest city, town or village.
5. Please include your full name and a phone number in case we need to contact you to learn more about your nominated pothole – and possibly fix it.
We’ll pick a selection of the worst potholes you’ve nominated and let readers vote which potholes should be repaired for free by JCB’s PotholePro.
Personal data is not shared with third parties.
> Find out more about the JCB PotholePro and how it can repair a road near you