Victory for the Daily Mail’s pothole campaign as Jeremy Hunt to announce £200m fund

Jeremy Hunt will unveil in this week’s budget a £200 million fund to tackle the potholes in Britain’s roads, a major win for the Daily Mail’s campaign.

The Chancellor’s pledge means there are about four million more gaps to be filled.

The money represents a boost of nearly a fifth of annual funds to repair crumbling rural and local routes, and will be released to councils across England in the coming weeks.

As the money is earmarked for town halls, residential streets, country lanes and smaller B and C roads will benefit.

The Mail has highlighted how a growing number of potholes on such routes are costing motorists millions of pounds in repairs to their vehicles, while cyclists and motorcyclists are at risk of injury or death.

Figures from the Department for Transport show that in some parts of the country, half of the smaller, unclassified residential roads are in need of resurfacing. Meanwhile, up to a quarter of the B and C roads have to be repaired.

Overall, 15 per cent of unclassified roads in England fall into the ‘red’ category due to their condition, the worst ranking.

Mr Hunt told the Mail last night: ‘Potholes cause misery for motorists. The Mail campaign has highlighted the issue and I agree it is time for action.

“This money will repair up to four million potholes, keeping the country moving and accelerating growth.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper added: ‘Potholes are a scourge on Britain’s roads.

“This latest funding round demonstrates our commitment to supporting all road users – from motorists to cyclists and bus passengers – and making travel smoother and safer for everyone.”

The money comes on top of the £1.125bn spent annually between 2020 and 2025 on resurfacing and repairing local motorways.

Council chiefs said it was a welcome boost after a particularly wet and cold winter, which has seen more cracks on Britain’s roads.

In addition, the price of asphalt and concrete has skyrocketed during the energy crisis, driving up the cost of repairing potholes by 16 percent. The average pit costs around £50 to fill.

Town hall bosses have long argued they need a bigger share of the money going to roads – with National Highways receiving £7bn to manage motorways and trunk roads, despite local roads covering far more miles.

Edmund King, chairman of the AA, said: ‘This £200 million pothole bonus is a welcome contribution in the short term to help combat the scourge of potholes that plagues motorists, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.

“Ultimately, we need longer-term joint investments to tackle the backlog. But we are delighted that the AA’s campaign with the Daily Mail is paying off.”

Nicholas Lyes, RAC’s head of road policy, added: ‘While welcome, a further £200 million is unlikely to make much of a difference to the overall quality of our derelict local roads.

“We need to significantly increase funding for local road maintenance and improvement so that municipalities can resurface roads properly instead of patching them up and hoping for the best.”

Town halls have been accused of using a temporary ‘throw away’ method to repair roads – where damaged soil is not removed or repaired before being filled in, meaning potholes reappear soon after repair.

A poll last week found two-thirds of motorists believe the roads have gotten worse over the past year, with one in five saying they have incurred costly repair costs of more than £100.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represents municipalities, said: ‘We look forward to the details of how this money will be allocated.

“Despite the efforts of councils, who repair a pothole every 19 seconds, the backlog of local road rehabilitation is growing and would take more than £12bn and nine years to clear.”