‘Councils refusing to fix potholes deemed too small’

Many potholes are left unrepaired despite being reported because some councils only fix them if they are a minimum size, according to new analysis.

More than a third (35%) of local authorities in Britain state the size a pothole must be before they will act, research by the RAC and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme found.

The most common depth stated is 4cm (1.6in)(54 councils), but in the case of six councils – Warwickshire, Torbay, Thurrock, Nottingham, Torfaen and South Lanarkshire – potholes need to be at least 5cm (2in) deep to be considered for repair.

how to, ‘councils refusing to fix potholes deemed too small’

(PA Graphics)

Thirteen local authorities, including Buckinghamshire, Stockport and Devon, state only those at least 30cm (11.8in) wide and 4cm (1.6in) deep will get fixed.

Some 37% of councils say they take a “risk-based approach” in deciding which potholes to fix and how quickly to do so, while 29% do not state any criteria online.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “For a long time, we’ve advised the public to report each and every pothole they come across to their local authority, not least as a council can refuse to compensate for damage caused from hitting one if they can prove they didn’t know it existed.

“But unfortunately, as this analysis shows, just reporting a road defect doesn’t guarantee it will get fixed.

“In some cases, councils state a pothole needs to be sufficiently deep or wide to be considered for repair.

“This can be enormously frustrating for anyone who comes across one, reports it but then witnesses it get even bigger and more dangerous as it didn’t quite reach a council’s threshold for repair.”

Common vehicle problems caused by potholes include damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels.

In October 2023, the Government announced it would provide £8.3 billion of extra funding over 11 years to fix potholes in England.

This was part of the Network North strategy to use money saved by scrapping the planned extension of HS2 north of Birmingham.

The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £16.3 billion.

Darren Rodwell, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils are on the side of all road users and want to focus on properly resurfacing our roads, including tackling the £16.3 billion backlog of road repairs.

“Many factors affect repair rates, such as the road profile, traffic levels and available budgets.

“Councils would much prefer to focus on preventative repairs but only greater, year-on-year long-term funding certainty for maintaining all parts of our highways will help them achieve this.

“The Government should award council highways departments five-yearly funding allocations, on a par with National Highways, to give them more certainty to develop resurfacing programmes and other improvements to help prevent potholes in the first place.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Local authorities are responsible for maintaining their local roads, including setting criteria for repairs, but we’re supporting them with an additional £8.3 billion of reallocated HS2 funding – the biggest ever funding increase for local road improvements.

“We have also introduced new reporting requirements which mean local authorities will need to report on their road maintenance progress on a quarterly basis, ensuring taxpayers can hold them to account for how they spend the record funding increase.”

– The War On Britain’s Motorists: Dispatches is broadcast on Thursday at 8pm on Channel 4

OTHER NEWS

14 minutes ago

‘I can’t move’: Ontario woman opens up about stiff person syndrome fight

16 minutes ago

Video: Katy Perry puts on a leggy display in Paris ahead of the Vogue World event after sparking Ozempic speculation

16 minutes ago

Labour would have to raise taxes to fill immediate £2bn black hole, Tories claim

16 minutes ago

Duda arrives in China to discuss trade, security in Europe

16 minutes ago

England suffer fresh injury concern ahead of Slovenia fixture

16 minutes ago

Russia vows military and legal response against US, holds it responsible for Kyiv attack

18 minutes ago

Tesla, opponents of Musk's pay package clash over resolving compensation lawsuit

23 minutes ago

Darwin Nunez is 25/1 with Sky Bet to score a hat-trick - as Uruguay open their Copa America 2024 campaign against Panama in Miami

23 minutes ago

Medicaid spending on migrants in Florida plummets after DeSantis crackdown on illegals: report

23 minutes ago

Illinois may return land stolen 175 years ago from a Prairie Band Potawatomi chief

24 minutes ago

Justin Reid opened the Chiefs “ChampionsHaus” pop-up in Frankfurt, Germany

25 minutes ago

Chelsea go ALL-IN on Nico Williams - Gianluca Di Marzio

25 minutes ago

Golden Nuggets: Ten more Sundays without real 49ers football

25 minutes ago

Chelsea ask Barcelona about signing young forward after Michael Olise snub

25 minutes ago

Ukraine reports successful attack on Russian military command post in Belgorod

25 minutes ago

Mailbag: Biggest villain in 2024, Jahmyr Gibbs or Jameson Williams?

25 minutes ago

Micah Parsons named NFL's ninth-best player by CBS Sports

25 minutes ago

A 4-year-old boy was rescued after surviving nearly 24 hours alone in California woods

27 minutes ago

Arsenal and Liverpool eye Joshua Kimmich transfer - but he's 'not interested' in Man Utd

27 minutes ago

Benoot's candid assessment: "Van Aert not at last year's level, Visma | LAB does not dare to bet money on Vingegaard"

27 minutes ago

Daniel Lismore arrives at the V and A summer party

27 minutes ago

Mets Morning News for June 23, 2024

28 minutes ago

The late 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek will be honored with a U.S. postage stamp

30 minutes ago

Researchers 'crack the code' for quelling electromagnetic interference

30 minutes ago

Kraken-Canucks Set To Kick Off 2024-25 Pre-Season Slate

30 minutes ago

Washington Commanders: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Was Outbid By Josh Harris For Ownership, Per Report

30 minutes ago

NASCAR race today: Live updates for USA TODAY 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

30 minutes ago

UAE: FTA urges taxpayers to register to avoid penalty

30 minutes ago

Nostalgic for your turbulent youth? Read this novel and you won’t be

30 minutes ago

Phil Foden escapes England’s Euro 2024 criticism – by going fishing

30 minutes ago

Jake White’s bizarre claim about URC final referee that dates back to 2022

30 minutes ago

England confirm replacement for suspended Charlie Ewels ahead of All Blacks series

30 minutes ago

Starmer tells private special school to keep costs down to cope with his VAT plan

30 minutes ago

Inside the clinic where men get their genitals plumped for $15,000, in a procedure that's not FDA approved

30 minutes ago

I'm a collectibles expert - here are the 1980s toys from your childhood that are now worth a fortune

30 minutes ago

We took a road trip to Iraq via 21 countries - and ended up staying longer than expected...

30 minutes ago

My son died of a heroin overdose- here's what I wish I knew and how you can save your own child

30 minutes ago

I'm a scientist who believes plants are CONSCIOUS - here are signs that prove they have intelligence

30 minutes ago

Video: Let him play the final! Fans demand viral German saxophone man is allowed to perform at the Euro 2024 final after videos of him delighting fans goes viral

30 minutes ago

Video: Watch as Ryan Garcia tries his hand at STAND-UP COMEDY with excruciating routine following his doping ban