Data released by the AA has revealed that Herefordshire Council repaired almost 100,000 potholes in the three year period April 2018 to June 2021.
However, this is despite just 12,667 potholes being reported during this time, indicating that people in the county may not know the best way of reporting potholes to the local authority.
To report a pothole in Herefordshire, simply visit – https://myaccount.herefordshire.gov.uk/report-a-pothole
From the AA:
Potholes can make driving a stressful experience and even cause breakdowns. With millions of potholes reported in the UK every year, we thought we’d find out which areas suffer the most from the pothole problem.
- From April 2018 to June 2021, over 180,000 potholes have been reported in Northumberland.1
- Only 3% of pothole damage claims submitted to Glasgow council have been compensated (over 3000 have been submitted).
- Out of the English and Welsh councils looked at, Liverpool invested the most in road maintenance, spending just under £250 million between April 2018 and March 2021.2
From April 2018 to June 2021, there were over 1.5 million potholes on local roads reported to the 51 UK councils we spoke to. The total number is likely to be much higher than that due to this figure not including potholes on motorways and major roads, and many being unreported.
Northumberland had the greatest number of reported potholes during this time, with over 180,000. The table below highlights the areas with the greatest number of potholes reported and how many were repaired during this time.
As expected, larger council areas experience greater volumes of reported potholes than smaller ones.
Areas with greatest number of reported potholes
| Council | Potholes reported April 2018 to June 2021 | Potholes repaired April 2018 to June 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Northumberland | 180,993 | 175,357 |
| Cornwall | 88,129 | 87,981 |
| Kirklees | 77,552 | 165,532* |
| Newry, Mourne and Down | 62,820 | 52,006 |
| Fife | 57,051 | 55,617 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon | 54,320 | 48,292 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 53,767 | 52,179 |
| Liverpool | 45,224 | 41,135 |
| Suffolk | 42,174 | 38,548 |
| Glasgow | 38,100 | 34,592 |
*In some cases, councils had repaired a greater number of potholes than the the total number reported. This is due to the time periods during which this data refers to and the way the data is recorded.
For example, a pothole may be reported in one financial year and then repaired in another. Also, the reported figure might only include numbers reported by the public, while the total number repaired will include those identified by council road inspectors.
The table below shows the councils with the greatest volume of repaired potholes during this timeframe.
| Council | Potholes repaired April 2018 to June 2021 | Potholes reported April 2018 to June 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Northumberland | 175,357 | 180,993 |
| Kirklees | 165,532 | 77,552 |
| West Northamptonshire | 107,700 | 15,154 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 101,649 | 9,568 |
| Herefordshire | 97,728 | 12,667 |
| Edinburgh | 95,681 | 23,892 |
| Cornwall | 87,981 | 88,129 |
| Rotherham | 71,625 | 2,036 |
| Cheshire East | 57,796 | 35,346 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 52,179 | 53,767 |
In areas where there are far greater numbers of repaired potholes than reported potholes, this could point to members of the public not being aware of how best to report a pothole to the local authority.
Learn how to report potholes.
Full article and source – https://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/advice/potholes-on-uk-roads
