Potholes could increase by 16 percent by 2030 as experts predict UK road users could be battling with 651,000 potholes by the end of the decade. There are already a total of 560,836 potholes across the nation but an increase is expected unless urgent investment is implemented.
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Pothole damage has increased across the UK
The government has promised to invest £500million per year in clearing up potholes and a special fund was a key message in Boris Johnson’s manifesto.
Experts say fewer potholes would create far-reaching effects for pedestrians and cyclists who may be more likely to suffer the worst injuries from road damage.
Rod Penman, Head of Public Services at Zurich UK said: “Potholes are the symptom of a much wider and deep-rooted issue.
“It’s been getting worse simply because government funding and council resources have not been sufficient enough to cope with the magnitude of the issue.”
The analysis shows the number of potholes could increase from just over 20,000 to 23,428 in London by 2030 without intervention from the government.
However, experts say the numbers could drop to as low as 14,843 if proper investment is put into place to clean up the roads.
Government investment could see Newcastle and Manchester drop from more than 18,000 potholes to just over 13,000 by the end of the decade.
Both regions could see an increase in the number of potholes by more than 3,000 if no action is taken which could create a further safety risk to road users.
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Major reductions to the number of potholes are also expected in Glasgow, Bristol and Birmingham.
Leeds would see 2,000 fewer potholes with extra investment in place whole Sheffield, Edinburgh and Liverpool will see a drop of just over 1,000.
Further investment would also take pressure away from local councils who are forced to pay out almost £3million worth of compensation claims for pothole-related damage each year.
Surrey County Council were forced to pay more than £320,000 in compensation claims between January 1 and October 17 last year after receiving more than 3,500 complaints.
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However, experts revealed even an extra £9billion of funding would not be enough to effectively address the pothole crisis in the UK.
They said the networks could become more manageable but would be unlikely to clean the issue up completely.
Weather plays an enormous part in the creation of potholes which is out of local council or government control.
Potholes are formed after water seeps through cracks in the road surface and freezes, pushing the asphalt away.
Weather is so vital to the development of potholes that one bad winter or weather spell can cause drastic damage.
Almost 1.1million new potholes were reported across the UK following the bitter winter in 2010.
Data released from Waze yesterday revealed how pothole damage increased by 346 percent in Gloucester in the aftermath of Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis.
The app has recorded a 40 percent increase in the number of potholes reported over the past month as tricky weather destroyed roads.
Ron Penman said: “Whether or not the increased Government investment comes to fruition, potholes are going to remain a significant issue.
“It’s crucial that highway authorities take a strong risk-based approach to road maintenance services.”
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