Shortfall in pothole repair budgets has hit a record high
An Essex man who lives on the "worst road" in Britain tells us about the impact
New research shows that shortfalls in pothole repair budgets among local authorities has hit a record high.
According to the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey, Councils in England and Wales said they only received two-thirds of what they needed during the current financial year to stop local roads further deteriorating.
The "worst road" for potholes in Britain
Jay Marsh lives on the Bel Air Chalet Estate in St Osyth - which has been dubbed the "worst road in Britain" - and runs a window repair business.
He said: "Around here I'm getting to know where most of the potholes are. There's been one in the village here, up in St Osyth, for eight weeks - something like that. It's humongous. You could fit probably two or three footballs in it.
"Luckily enough, I know where it is so I can avoid it. But it does entail you going onto the other side of the road, with cars heading onto you."
He added: "I've seen people at the side of the road with punctures and you know they're two or three hundred yards from a pothole and it's punctured their tyre.
"You feel for people because times are hard at the moment and having to pay out £70, £80, even £100 for a tyre, it hurts. It hurts people's pockets."
But for Jay, the problem is doubled edged, as he explained: "It's sort of beneficial to me in the sense that the more stones on the roads, the more windscreens potentially get chipped, the more potential work for me.
"However, my van has suffered from punctures and suspension problems and stone chips as well, because of the state of the roads."
"I'm always looking in the rear view mirror to see what the glass (to repair other people's windows) is doing in the back of the van, to make sure it's not getting broken", he added.
What's causing the shortfall in pothole repairs?
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which commissioned the research, put the shortfall down to budgets not keeping pace with increased costs caused by inflation.
Rick Green, who chairs the AIA, said: “We all appreciate that there are difficult choices to make with demands and pressures on the public purse coming from every area, but not investing in local road maintenance only leads to worsening conditions, which impact on other locally provided public services, a rising bill to fix the problem and more road user complaints."
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in his budget last week that £200 million would be allocated to filling potholes in local roads in England during the next financial year.
But, according to Mr Green, the uplift would "do little to improve overall structural conditions and stem further decline”.
The report found the one-time cost of bringing all local roads up to scratch now stands at £14 billion and would take 11 years to complete.
It also revealed that 18% of the local roads network – nearly 37,000 miles – have been assessed as being in poor condition, with less that five years of life remaining.
What has the government said?
David Renard, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, said councils “work tirelessly” to repair roads but the backlog is “increasingly challenging to tackle.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We are investing more than £5 billion from 2020 to 2025 into local highways maintenance, and recently announced an extra £200m at the Budget to fix millions of potholes a year.
“This will help make journeys smoother and safer for all, repair dozens of bridges, and resurface roads up and down the country.”