Tackling the UK’s pothole crisis

Local TV

With news that the government will reduce council funding if they don't hit pothole repair targets, we take a closer look at the nation's pothole crisis!

Transcript

00:00Potholes. They've become a familiar and frustrating sight on many of our local roads,

00:06causing damage to vehicles, posing safety risks and contributing to growing public dissatisfaction.

00:12Research shows that drivers in the UK encounter an average of six potholes per mile of road.

00:18The issues gained renewed attention following a recent government announcement that councils could

00:24lose millions of pounds in funding if they fail to meet targets for pothole repairs.

00:29The move aims to tackle the persistent problem but many are questioning whether it is enough

00:34to make a real difference. Across the UK the state of our roads has become a serious concern.

00:40The government has committed to allocating 1.6 billion pounds to address road repairs,

00:45including fixing potholes. Councils will need to show that they're effectively

00:49using these funds to avoid losing up to a quarter of their future allocations.

00:54This policy change comes at a time when many local authorities are already under significant

00:59financial pressure, raising questions about how realistic these targets are and whether

01:05they'll truly result in safer, smoother roads for drivers. According to the RAC,

01:10potholes cause hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage every year.

01:15From tyre blowouts to suspension damage, vehicles are often left with costly repair bills.

01:20In fact in 2023 more than four million pounds was spent on pothole related claims

01:25in just one month alone. Potholes also pose a serious safety risk. Cyclists and motorcyclists

01:31are particularly vulnerable as a sudden swerve to avoid a pothole could lead to dangerous accidents.

01:37The longer potholes remain unfixed, the more the infrastructure of our roads deteriorates,

01:43potentially leading to even more severe repairs down the line. The UK government estimates that

01:48it would take around 16.8 billion pounds and 12 years to bring all roads up to standard.

01:54Currently councils are only receiving a fraction of this amount, leaving many roads in a state

01:58of disrepair. In fact in Scotland potholes have increased by 50% in the past year alone

02:04and local councils have warned that funding cuts could lead to even more severe backlogs.

02:09With roads becoming more damaged and the pressure on local councils growing,

02:13it's clear that more needs to be done to ensure roads are properly maintained.

02:18The government's new funding scheme and stricter repair targets are a step in the right direction,

02:23but whether they'll be enough to tackle the full scale of the problem remains to be seen.

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