Hereford 'Pothole Capital of England'
Research says it has more per capita than anywhere else
Last updated 2nd Feb 2024
Hereford is the pothole capital of England, new research has found.
There is one pothole reported for every 127th resident. In London, this title goes to Barnet. In Britain, Glasgow steals the top spot with one reported pothole for every 86th Glaswegian.
Among cities with at least 100 reported potholes, Manchester and Birmingham have the lowest rates of fixed reported potholes in England. Meanwhile, Bath, Peterborough and Bristol authorities have the most responsive councils when dealing with such issues.
This is according to a new study from data collection experts at SmartSurvey, who analysed the reports of potholes registered via FixMyStreet.com for 69 cities across England, Scotland and Wales. Since some residents use the FixMyStreet platform more than others, fix rates were evaluated only for the cities with at least 100 reports registered since 2007, when the platform was launched, until January 29th, 2024.
Hereford is the pothole capital of England and the third-worst city in Britain for reported pothole, based on the number of reports compared against its population. Although much smaller in size compared to all the other cities in the top ten worst for potholes per capita, Hereford roads are covered in an unusually high number of holes (421) relative to the number of its inhabitants (53,100). There are 7.9 reported potholes that remain unfixed to date for every 1,000 Hereford residents. On the bright side, the local authorities are much more responsive compared to those in other “pothole capitals” in Britain. They tend to fix every other pothole reported to them.
A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said: “Potholes are a scourge of all highway authorities up and down the country and we know the impact that they can have on motorists.
“Herefordshire’s highway network is over 2,100 miles in length, which is long enough to stretch from Land’s End to John O’Groats some two and a half times. We carry out regular inspections of this extensive network to keep all of our roads in a safe condition, with any defects that are identified being assessed on the basis of risk. These figures reflect only the number of potholes reported versus population and are part of a nationwide pattern of degradation in the network due to nationally reduced funding from Government. It’s pleasing to see that Herefordshire Council is recognised for being ‘more responsive’ than many other local authorities, fixing potholes at a much higher rate, as it shows that we have an effective reporting system in place via our website.
“Traffic volume and the type of network is not considered in the report, which is an important factor given Hereford is at the centre of a number of key regional road links, including the National Highways-maintained A49 that runs through its heart, and does not currently have any effective routes that allow through-traffic to bypass the city. We continue to work proactively to tackle the scourge of potholes and we will continue to invest in the County’s road network within allocated budgets and grants from government. In addition to the £14 million we receive from Government to maintain our network each year, the Council will be investing a further £13 million of its own money during 2024/25 as it recognises that Herefordshire highways are a priority”.