UK heads for ‘Third World’ roads as £3 million a day pothole crisis deepens

Drivers could be forking out nearly £3 million* every day – or £1 billion ayear – to repair cars damaged by Britain’s crumbling roads, according to Potholes.co.uk.

Potholes.co.uk , the road maintenance campaign website, set up by the UK’s leading direct carwarranty provider, Warranty Direct, is warning that Britain will have “Third World” roads unless something significant is done.

The 1st photo is a South East Asia pothole. The 2nd photo is a Uk pothole

Potholes.co.uk analysed 150,000 of Warranty Direct’s policies over athree-year period and found that nearly six percent of vehicles suffer axleor suspension damage linked to potholes or road defects each year. Theaverage cost of repair stood at £312 but individual bills were as high as£4,000.

Besides the risk of major mechanical failures, motorists could also end uppaying out an average of £277* to replace damaged wheels and burst tyres.

Figures for February 2011 show that 39 percent more potholes were reportedon potholes.co.uk than in the same month in 2010.

One such motorist, Mrs Hinks, sustained over £4,000 worth of damage to hervehicle after striking a pothole. She said: “It’s shocking how much damagecan be done by a pothole, I was lucky not to be hurt. A driver in a lesssubstantial vehicle than my BMW might not have been so lucky.”

Duncan McClure Fisher, of Warranty Direct, said: “Unless something more isdone soon, we’ll be faced with a road network that would be more at home ina Third World country.

“Whether it’s the cumulative effect of continuously driving on bad roads orthe sudden jolting of a deep pothole which does the harm, our crumblingroads are costing motorists millions.”

McClure Fisher added: “The recent council injection of £100 million will notsolve matters. Councils need to wise up and get creative about how toaddress the problem.

“Back in December, we predicted that a gloomy combination of a very coldwinter, huge underfunding and mediocre repairs to roads could potentiallylead to the worst ever pothole season – unfortunately our forecast waslargely correct.”

Anyone can report a road defect using Potholes.co.uk, which has contactdetails for councils across England, Scotland and Wales.

*Average cost of axle & suspension repair of £312; number of cars registeredin UK according to DfT 2010 stats 28,459,000; incidence rate 5.7% of cars.Calculation: (312 x 28,459,000)/100) x 5.7 = 506,114,856


Average cost of wheel and/or tyre repair of £277; no of cars registered inUK according to DfT 2010 stats 28,459,000; incidence rate 6.0%. Calculation(277 x 28,459,000)/100 x 6 = £472,988,580


(£506,114,856 + £472,988,580)/365 = £2,682,475 per day