POTHOLE REPAIRS ARE costing £90m annually, according to a report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA).

 

The AIA’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance surveyed 70% of the local authority highway departments across England and Wales. The survey found that 1.7 million potholes were repaired last year at a cost of £90m.

 

That’s a huge sum, which the AIA argues has been inflated by years of underfunding and poor planning: “Planned preventative maintenance resurfacing worn roads before they get to the state in which potholes appear is at least 20 times less expensive than patching and mending,” argues the AIA’s chairman, Alan Mackenzie.

 

It’s not just local authorities (and so ultimately the taxpayer) shelling out to repair roads which haven’t been maintained properly. According to the campaign website, Potholes.co.uk, Britain’s drivers are paying over £1m a day to fix suspension and axle damage caused by potholes and badly maintained roads.

 

You can report a pothole to your local authority through Potholes.co.uk, where you will also find advice about how to make a claim if your car has been damaged by a badly surfaced road.