Motorists in Norwich have to cope with the most problems due to potholes, new data suggests.
The research, compiled by eBay, was based on the highest sales per capita of car items likely to need replacing due to poor road conditions across the UK.
The city famous for TV cookery queen Delia Smith topped the table, which was based on areas with the highest sales, per person, of wheels, tyres, hubcaps and other car parts most likely to be damaged by potholes.
Lincoln, in the neighbouring county, came second in the list, followed by Chesterfield, Preston and Tamworth in Staffordshire.
Norfolk and Lincolnshire are also among the counties receiving the highest level of government funding for highways maintenance in the current financial year to deal with the pothole problem – only Devon is getting more from the £200 million pothole pot.
A news study has revealed the areas of the UK with the most pothole filled roads
Norwich came top of the UK’s pothole rankings according to eBay
The funding is in addition to the normal highways budget and those counties with the worst roads are getting the most – Norfolk is getting £6,356,800 and Lincolnshire £6,884,000 for instance.
Dr Tony Tong, eBay Head of Automotive, said: ‘Drivers in Norwich and nearby Lincoln buy more new wheels, tyres and associated parts than anywhere else in the UK – suggesting their roads cause the most damage to these vulnerable items.
‘It’s not all bad news for motorists, though, as the most affected six towns and cities in the eBay Pothole Index are all covered by Local Authorities who sit among the 15 biggest recipients when it comes to their share of the recently announced £200m increase in road maintenance spending, suggesting the extra finances are going to the places that need it most..’
Data used to calculate the figures relates to the number of eBay items purchased that are typically vulnerable to pothole damage, including wheels, tyres, wheel
trims, centre caps and tyre pressure monitoring sensors, during March 2023. The Pothole Index ranks the number of items purchased against the local population size, using Office of National Statistics data.
