Vehicle breakdowns caused by potholes have reached a record high, says the RAC.
The motoring organisation said it received 5,978 call-outs to breakdowns attributed to poor surfaces on local roads between July and September.
The figure is the highest for that quarter since its records began in 2006 and represents a 46 per cent increase on the 4,085 incidents in the same period last year.
An aerial view of Bradford Avenue in Bolton, Greater Manchester, which is scarred by potholes
Common problems caused by potholes include damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels.
The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £14billion.
Garage repair data analysed by the RAC shows that drivers are paying an average of £440 if their car needs fixing after hitting a pothole for any damage more serious than a puncture.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: ‘Our analysis of pothole-related breakdowns is sadly once again showing that the substandard state of the country’s local roads is causing a world of pain for drivers, let alone those on two wheels.
‘Fortunately, the Government has promised £8.3billion for local highways authorities over a five-year period, which should give them the certainty of funding they need to be able to plan longer term road maintenance work.’
A look at the appalling road surfaces in ‘Pothole Crescent’ in Witham, Essex
Victoria Jones, 51, says potholes in her street in Witham, Essex, are ‘dreadful’
St Nicholas Manor development in Cramlington, Northumberland, where a resident said there are a host of problems including ‘crater’ sized holes in the roads
Potholes pictured in Cramlington, Northumberland
Last month, the Government said it will provide the £8.3billion to ‘fix the blight of potholes on roads up and down the country’ after scrapping the HS2 rail project north of Birmingham.
In March, the Mail secured a victory in the campaign to end the ‘pothole plague’ when the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced an additional £200million is to be ring-fenced for councils to spend on improving our roads.
The amount represents around a 20 per cent boost in funds to fix roads in towns, cities and rural areas.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘The decision to redirect HS2 funding to other transport projects means that an extra £8.3billion has been freed up to help local authorities fill potholes and resurface roads, which is on top of the near £1billion the Government already provides on average every year.
‘We are investing a record amount of funding into tackling potholes and resurfacing roads, which will see highway maintenance funding to local authorities almost doubled over the next decade.’
Potholes are formed when water enters cracks in the road, freezes and then expands.
Cllr Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, which represents councils – who are responsible for local roads – said: ‘The LGA has long-called for longer term funding to tackle the issues facing our roads and we believe that government should award council Highways Departments with five yearly funding allocations to give more certainty, bringing councils on a par with National Highways.
‘Councils much prefer to invest in more cost-effective and resilient resurfacing than retrospectively dealing with potholes.
‘The recently announced £8.3 billion additional funding for roads maintenance should help to bring more of our local road network up to scratch, and help deal with the £14 billion backlog of repairs. We await to see more details of the funding plan.’
In May. This is Money revealed that hard-up local authorities and councils are enduring a ‘chicken and egg’ scenario when it comes to covering the cost of repairing their crater-riddled roads.
Analysis by French car firm Citroen found cash-strapped authorities in England and Wales were forced to pay-out £22.7million in compensation to drivers to cover the cost of damage inflicted on vehicles by potholes on poorly maintained roads last year.
If the same amount was spent to fund repairs instead, an additional 340,000 potholes could have been filled, the auto firm estimates.
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
