Drivers called the AA to almost 1,900 pothole-related incidents every day last month, the breakdown service has said. The AA said that prolonged periods of wet weather in March had led to a spike in damage caused by broken road surfaces, with its pothole index reporting 10,000 more callouts than at the same time last year.
The breakdown organisation said that last month it had been called to an average of 1,870 pothole incidents every day, estimating the damage would have left drivers with a collective bill of £168,300 for new tyres alone.
AA president Edmund King said: “The current pothole plague firmly puts the UK on the road to despair.
“Persistent cold and wet weather, coupled with poorly planned roadworks, means problem roads are undoubtedly getting worse and pothole complaints will not go away until the roads are properly fixed.”
The average garage sells tyres for £90 and wheels at £250 each, “placing further strain on already stretched family budgets”, Mr King added.
It comes as the Government looks to clamp down on poorly repaired roads by fining utility companies if they leave highways in a poor state.
The Government said inspections were previously done on “about 30%” of street works after utility companies carried out repairs.
However, new regulations, which came into force on April 1, will see all companies face initial inspections and, based on their performance, those carrying out good repairs will be visited less while the worst performers will be checked more often.
The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (Alarm) survey released in March found shortfalls in pothole repair budgets among local authorities have reached a record highs.
The report said 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 – a total carriageway maintenance budget shortfall of £1.3 billion.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing more than £5.5 billion to maintain roads up and down the country, and recently announced plans to crack down on utility companies that leave potholes in their wake after street works, so that motorists, cyclists and all road users can enjoy smoother, safer journeys.”
