Potholes: 'One Every Mile' On Britain's Roads

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

There is a pothole for every mile of road in Britain, according to new research.

Official council data obtained under a Freedom of Information request show a 79% increase in compensation claims in the past financial year from motorists as a result of pothole damage.

Breakdown service Britannia Rescue also says the figures show that potholes measure 295 square miles (764 square km) in Britain - more than twice the size of the Isle of Wight.

It describes the situation as a "pothole epidemic" and claims that road maintenance in the UK is severely underfunded.

It says almost one in 10 people have suffered car damage as a result of poor road surfaces in the past 12 months.

Among the other statistics relating to potholes revealed by the research are:

:: Local authorities have paid out £2.5m in compensation to motorists in the past financial year.

:: UK councils have received 32,600 compensation claims over the same period - a 79 % increase over the previous year.

:: The most common problems are tyre damage (43%), damaged suspension (34%) and damaged wheel rims (26%).

According to the findings King Lane in Leeds, the B6273 (South Moor Road/Moor Lane) in Barnsley and Holly Lane in Banstead are some of the worst roads for potholes in the UK.

Researchers blame the combination of a harsh winter followed by a dry summer for exacerbating the problem but they argue there is not enough funding for road maintenance.

Potholes measure 295 square miles collectively in the UK, the data found

Britannia Rescue said: "Short-term fixes are often chosen over longer term solutions, with close to a quarter (23%) of councils admitting they usually temporarily fix potholes rather than resurface the area.

"The average cost of repairing a pothole is around £50, meaning the amount paid out by councils in compensation could have been used to repair more than 50,000 potholes."

The company's managing director, Peter Horton, said: "Britain's pothole epidemic has resulted from years of underinvestment ... we now have around 200,000 potholes on UK roads.

"Motorists should protect themselves and their vehicles by reducing their speed on potholed roads, and also reporting damaged roads to their local council."

Cyclist Chris Peck has welcomed the call for better investment in road maintenance. 

He broke his nose and a tooth and had to have eight stitches in his face after being thrown from his bike while riding in Westminster.

He said: "Some passers-by peeled me off the road and waited while an ambulance was called - even though it was only around 250m to hospital. 

"At the time I had no idea what had happened. It was only going back later that day that I realised I had hit a pothole."

He received compensation of £4,600 from London for Transport.

But Mr Peck said: "Compensation doesn't really cover me for the year or so of reduced cycling due to neck pain, nor the permanent scarring."

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