Britain’s ‘pothole plague’ took even more of a toll on drivers in 2023, new data from the RAC reveals.

RAC data shows the number of pothole-related breakdowns jumped by a third in 2023

Published to mark National Pothole Day (15 January 2024), the figures show RAC patrols attended nearly 30,000 pothole-related breakdowns over the course of the year, up by a third (33%) on 2022.

Roadside patrols at the motoring services company went out to 29,377 breakdowns in 2023 – the equivalent of 80 breakdowns a day – for faults including broken suspension springs, damaged shock absorbers and distorted wheels.

Data for Q4 2023 shows that drivers called the RAC out to 5,153 breakdowns caused by potholes – that’s the highest amount for any October to December period since 2017.

And the RAC warns that the problem is only likely to get worse in the colder months of ‘pothole season’ – January to March – when water makes its way into cracks in the road, freezes and expands, causing surfaces to deteriorate even more.

The RAC Pothole Index also underscores the declining condition of Britain’s roads. The Index, which has tracked the condition of Britain’s roads since 2006, now stands at 1.70, up from 1.62 at the end of 2022.

That’s short of the all-time high of 3.5 recorded in Q1 2010 – but still suggests drivers are more than one-and-a-half times as likely to experience pothole damage as they were 15 years ago.

While the RAC said the extra £8.3bn committed from HS2 funding to tackle potholes over the next 11 years should help local councils plan ahead, it’s called for the Department for Transport to lay out clear guidance as to how this money should be best used.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams added: “To prevent water damaging the roads in these winter months when it freezes and expands, we implore local highways authorities to completely resurface those in the worst condition and carry out more surface dressing between April and September on roads that are starting to deteriorate. It’s not just about plugging potholes, it’s a question of getting roads up to a reasonable standard and keeping them that way so drivers and indeed those on two wheels can finally feel confident and safe on their journeys.”

The RAC has also joined forces with technology company Metricell to encourage drivers to use Stan; a new free mobile app that automatically collects data on the state of roads via smartphone video cameras.

The data is being used to form a national road map of surface issues on the RAC and Stan websites – helping to make highways authorities aware of as many road surface defects as possible.

Ben Pepper, senior associate in the Accident Claims team at Bolt Burdon Kemp, said: “Injured individuals can seek compensation from the local authority for failure to adequately maintain the road. A higher standard of maintenance will be expected for busier roads that are more frequently used. County councils should ensure that there is an efficient system for inspection and repair in place, especially during winter months.”

UK counties with most potholes revealed

Go.Compare Car Insurance has also marked National Pothole Day by revealing the top 10 counties in England and Wales whose roads are most peppered with potholes.

Topping the peak pothole list was Derbyshire County Council, which reported 215,787 potholes between January 2020 and December 2022.

Two more northern counties took the second and third spots, with Durham and Lancashire County Councils featuring respectively, with more than 180,000 potholes reported in the same three-year period.

The comparison site submitted more than 300 Freedom of Information requests to councils across England and Wales to find out which areas had the most pothole reports. This research discovered that 2.4 million potholes were reported across England and Wales between January 2020 and December 2022.

In total, five counties reported more than 100,000 potholes on their roads, with Surrey and Northumberland County Council taking the fourth and fifth spots on the list.

For those unfortunate enough to have sustained damage to their vehicles by hitting a pothole, Tom Banks, car insurance expert at Go.Compare, advised: “Make sure you report it, whether you intend to claim or not. As long as it is safe to do so, collect evidence to identify the potholes, take note of its location and get a photo of the pothole. You should also photograph and damage it has caused to your car or van and use this when reporting it to the relevant authority.”