Local authorities are taking surprisingly polarized approaches to classifying potholes, new research has exposed.
The RAC and Channel 4 Dispatches The program found that whether potholes are fixed or not depends entirely on the council’s own judgement. And the criteria for determining what is a pothole that needs repair can be very different from region to region.
The research found that a third of councils will only fix potholes when they reach a specific depth, regardless of their width.
This means that many dangerous potholes are not repaired, posing an ongoing risk to road users, especially those traveling on two wheels.
A third of municipalities only fix potholes when they reach a certain depth, leaving roads dangerous for users and, especially, for cyclists.
Of the 206 councils contacted by the motoring group, only 76 (37 per cent) said they take a “risk-based approach” to deciding which potholes to fix and how quickly.
However, no one knows what this “risk-based approach” entails, as none of the 76 authorities provided much information to explain their decision-making.
Incredibly, three in 10 city councils (29 percent) do not set any public criteria for repairing potholes.
This varied approach to repairing potholes is causing enormous frustration among road users who report potholes to local authorities after suffering vehicle damage or personal injury while driving or driving over them.
The research found different approaches by 206 councils when it came to identifying and repairing potholes.
Often, potholes are simply left to grow before elusive criteria deem them large enough to merit repair.
A report by trade body Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) published in March put the bill for pothole-related compensation claims at £15.2 million. The AIA puts the average cost of filling a pothole at £72.26, up from £66.54 in 2023.
Among the 35 percent of city councils (71) who say they will only act on potholes if meet certain barometers: the most common depth indicated is 4 cm (according to 54 councils).
But for unfortunate road users in Warwickshire, Torbay, Thurrock, Nottingham, Torfaen and South Lanarkshire, potholes must be at least 5cm deep before workers are sent to fill them.
And you’ll need a sheet of paper handy to know if it’s worth reporting a pothole to the council for repair if you live in Buckinghamshire, Stockport and Devon.
These three are among the 13 tips that state that a pothole must be 30cm wide (the length of an A4) and 4cm deep to be fixed.
The RAC is concerned that using specific size-based criteria may be a way of “knocking the can down the road” and avoiding fixing potholes.
Calls on ‘Whitehall to provide new guidance to councils to achieve consistency in prioritizing potholes and taking action to fix them’, as reports emerge of councils dodging compensation claims over repair technicalities.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “We are concerned that some councils are rejecting compensation claims from drivers who have damaged their cars due to potholes, claiming they are already scheduled for repair, even if that repair is not due for another year. months”.
A recent report by trade body Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) puts the bill for pothole-related payments at £15.2 million.
Residents of Charlton-All-Saints, in Wilshire, have been left with a 41ft long and seven foot wide crater that makes it almost impossible to get to their homes after a wet winter.
Cllr Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, responded to the inquiry saying councils are “on the side of all road users” and want to focus on “the proper resurfacing of our roads”, including resolving of a £16.3bn backlog of road repairs. .
“Many factors affect repair rates, such as road profile, traffic levels and available budgets,” Rodwell said.
‘Councils would prefer to focus on preventive repairs, but only greater certainty of long-term, year-on-year funding for the maintenance of all parts of our roads will help them achieve this.
“The Government should give council Highway Departments five-year funding allocations, on par with National Highways, to give them more certainty in developing resurfacing programs and other improvements to help prevent potholes in the first place.” .
The research findings follow a report from Citroen last month that similarly found a lack of a standardized national approach to reporting, measuring and repairing potholes.
The French carmaker said this is triggering a postcode lottery for road repair responses in the UK.
Citroën submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) Statement to local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, which also demonstrated that there is no centralized government policy to follow.
Councils in England and Wales are only required to complete repairs in a “timely” manner under the Highways Act 1980.
In addition to the width and depth difference criteria determining repair rates, Citroen revealed that the repair timeframe differs hugely: Barnsley Council has two categories of repair timescales ranging from 24 hours to a month, compared to Warrington Council, which has seven, allowing potholes to remain on roads for up to 40 days until they are fixed.
The RAC also noted little consistency: East Riding Council is a shining example of pothole management, using a risk-based approach to repair road defects. Inspect all reported potholes within 24 hours, repair the most urgent ones within the same period, and then clearly establish how you prioritize repairing the rest.
In complete contrast, Redcar and Cleveland Council do not appear to have a single page on their website that even references potholes, nor the ability for people to report them online.
Greg Taylor, Citroën’s managing director in the French car company’s UK department, expressed similar concerns: “The lack of consistency in the way councils report and address potholes leaves room for even more essential vehicle repairs. Roads are left empty, leaving more drivers at risk.’
*The War on British Motorists: Dispatches airs Thursday May 23 at 8pm on Channel 4.
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