The shocking state of Britain’s potholed roads has been laid bare as the RAC revealed callouts to damaged cars more than doubled in the first three months of this year.
Its patrols dealt with nearly 9,500 pothole-related breakdowns – typically damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels – between January and March alone. The figure was over double the number between October and December and almost a fifth more than the same time last year.
The issue of potholes, routinely cited as a major bugbear for motorists and other road users, are likely to on voters’ minds in the forthcoming local elections. Potholes are often formed when water freezes and expands after entering cracks in road surfaces.
Research last month from the Asphalt Industry Alliance put the estimated bill for filling all the potholes in England and Wales at a record high of almost £17billion.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said broken roads “can risk lives and cost families hundreds if not thousands of pounds on repairs”, adding that councils should “get on with the job” of repairing them.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Our pothole-related breakdown data is a very clear reflection of the true state of the UK’s roads, and it sadly shows the pothole plague is as prevalent as ever. Suffering a breakdown due to wear and tear caused by the poor quality of roads is frustrating beyond belief, particularly as the average cost of repairing anything more than a puncture is £460. The cost of motoring is high enough already without having to fork out extra money to get your car back on the road.
“Drivers shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of these costs – they’re only having to because the roads have been allowed to get into such a dire state. After filling dangerous potholes as permanently as possible, we urge councils to prioritise preventative maintenance such as surface dressing to stop future potholes appearing.”
The number of pothole breakdown in the first three months of 2025 equated to 1.5% of all RAC breakdowns – a big jump on the fourth quarter of 2024 (0.8%) and the first three months of 2024 (1.1%).
Local roads maintenance funding for England provided by the Government for this financial year is nearly £1.6billion – a rise of £500million compared with the previous 12 months. The increase is estimated to be enough to fix around seven million potholes. A quarter of the uplift is being held back until authorities have provided evidence they are using the funding wisely.
Local Government Association transport spokesman Adam Hug said: “Greater, long-term funding certainty for local highways authorities – with five-yearly funding allocations on a par with National Highways – is needed to tackle the multibillion-pound local roads backlog. This will enable councils to better monitor, plan for and invest in preventative treatments, which keep surfaces in better condition for longer and are cheaper than reactive repairs. The one-year boost to pothole funding confirmed earlier this month is good, and recognition that funding had been inadequate to keep roads maintained.”
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “This Government is ending the pothole plague on Britain’s roads. “We are investing £1.6billion to help local authorities resurface local roads and fix the equivalent of up to seven million extra potholes over the next financial year. With the average driver forking out nearly £500 to repair serious pothole damage, we know that fixing cratered roads is not just about pride in our communities, but the pound in people’s pockets too.
“The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing a quarter of our record funding boost.”
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