RISING reports of potholes and squeezed budgets for repair work have been laid bare in a new study which revealed the extent of the problems facing motorists using Barnsley’s road network.
The RAC, which marked Wednesday’s National Pothole Day by publishing the results of a Freedom of Information request to councils, said damage caused to vehicles’ shock absorbers, suspension springs and wheels is commonplace on the UK’s ‘patchwork-like’ road network.
The study said four in ten call-outs now relate to punctured tyres, with potholes as a contributing factor.
Barnsley Council’s pothole repair budget has decreased by two-thirds from a height of £1.4m in just five years, although more motorists are being successful in securing compensation, statistics show.
Whereas just 77 people were paid a collective £19,400 between 2018 and 2020, payouts have dramatically spiked with 286 securing a total of £45,362 in 2022/23.
RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson warned the recent snow and ice - which saw temperatures plummet to as low as minus 7C - could result in more pothole reports in the coming weeks.
“In the aftermath of this month’s blast of snow and ice, we may see the unwelcome trend continue in 2025 as excess water freezes and expands in cracks on the roads,” she added.
“To prevent water-damaged roads in future, we urge local highways authorities to resurface those in the worst condition and surface dress other roads to stop them deteriorating further.
“Hopefully the government funding announced before Christmas will go some way towards literally filling in the cracks, giving road users smoother, safer surfaces.
“The £1.6bn allocated to pothole repairs is the biggest one-off road maintenance settlement councils in England have ever been given.
“What’s especially positive is it comes with guidance to use the money wisely by carrying out preventative maintenance, which we hope stops more potholes appearing in the future.”
It costs an average of £158 to repair each pothole but in some cases the council’s forked out more than £2,300.
They are divided into either category one or category two brackets, with the more urgent former having a 24-hour fix target as opposed to a month for the latter.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the forthcoming cash should be used to pay for thorough surface dressing as opposed to patching up pothole-ridden roads.
“These findings are a stark reminder that the ongoing poor condition of many of the UK’s local roads is burning holes in the budgets of both local authorities and drivers.
“Even if a driver successfully pursued compensation, the average sum paid out of £260 is often well below the cost to fix a pothole-damaged car, for anything more serious than a punctured tyre.
“We strongly urge drivers to inform councils about any potholes they are aware of.
“We have long argued that local authorities need greater certainty of funding so they can tackle to the root cause of the UK’s pothole plague.
“We’re pleased they’ll receive cash to soon start the process of improving their road networks.
“It’s vital that this money is used by councils not to merely fill potholes, but to carry out preventative maintenance - through surface dressing roads at regular intervals to stop roads falling apart in the first place. Roads that are beyond reasonable repair should be resurfaced.”
