Potholes on the rise as 92% say their roads are getting worse

A new study on the state of potholes across England has looked at the individual county council statistics on potholes year on year and conducted a driver survey to take a temperature on the current situation.

The data, gathered through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to county councils across England, compiled by analysts at Quotezone.co.uk, reveals a 37 per cent year on year increase in reported potholes and examines which areas of the country are worst affected – as 92% of drivers say their local areas are getting worse.*

In 2023, one of the wettest years on record**, potholes reportedly cost UK drivers almost £500m in repair bills***, with 83% of drivers saying they paid for the repairs themselves rather than file a claim.*

Reports to local authorities increased from 349,125 to 413,094 potholes across England – with 29% of drivers surveyed saying they know of potholes that have never been fixed.*

But some areas have been more affected than others, and Suffolk has been crowned the pothole capital as reports in the county increased by a staggering 180 per cent between 2022 and 2023.

Kent roads are also particularly cratered according to the data, as the number of reported potholes shot up by 92 per cent, from 13,392 to 25,668.

West Sussex is another area that comes in way above average with an 81 per cent increase in reports year on year.

The picture looks different in other areas of the country where the numbers have actually improved, including Staffordshire and Lincolnshire.

Between 2022 and 2023, pothole reports were reduced by 30 per cent in Staffordshire, and 1.3 per cent in Lincolnshire.

Commenting on the data, Quotezone.co.uk CEO and car insurance expert Greg Wilson comments: “The extreme weather conditions over the last two years have really accelerated the growing pothole problem – they continue to blight UK roads causing dangerous and costly damage for all road users.

“From an insurance perspective, if drivers have fully comprehensive car insurance then they should be covered for pothole damage.  Two things to note though, they’ll need proof the damage came from a pothole and the excess on the policy may be more than the damage itself so it’s worth getting a quote for repairs and weighing up the options. 

“Claiming on the insurance will also likely mean drivers lose their no claims bonus and the next 5 years of car insurance could therefore be more expensive, until the claim has cleared.

“Drivers could pursue the local authorities either the council or the road authority depending on the area, and try to claim for any damages – again they’ll need evidence such as photos, measurements and even witness statements can be helpful. 

“The Quotezone survey showed 59% of drivers don’t report potholes, with drivers saying a clearer reporting tool to help them raise awareness of problem areas would be key to aiding the situation.”

Preventative measures, like regularly maintaining tyre pressure, being wary of puddles and checking navigation apps for problem areas, could help to reduce the risk of damage – also prompt attention to any issues could help prevent minor damage caused by potholes, from becoming a major problem.

For more information, visit our pothole page.   

References:

All English county councils were asked for the data via a FOI request, 18 responded with the requested data, Herfordshire data is also available however the method of measurement varies slightly so is not included in our study.

*Quotezone.co.uk’s findings are based on a randomised survey of 1,000 respondents across the UK during July 2024, which represents a margin of error of approximately 5% at a 95% confidence level.

**https://www.carbonbrief.org/met-office-a-review-of-the-uks-climate-in-2023/#:~:text=Extremes%20and%20rainfall&text=The%20year%20of%202023%20was%20relatively%20wet%20with%201%2C290mm,series%20going%20back%20to%201836.

***https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/labour-louise-haigh-conservative-government-conservatives-b2560846.html