Bristol's roads have been named the worst in the country for potholes and crumbling surfaces, with almost 80 per cent of them reportedly in need of repairs. Analysis of government data suggests only one in five roads in the city are currently in good condition, although the council says the number of potholes in Bristol is down by 60 per cent since 2016.
Compare the Market's car insurance team looked at the figures to reveal the state of road conditions in each local authority area in England, and how much improvement is needed versus the amount of repairs planned. It used scores from the Road Indicator Report released by the government, which assigns colours to each road according to its condition.
Green means no further investigation or work needed, amber means 'may need work soon', and red means 'further investigation is required to ascertain if work is needed immediately'. According to Compare the Market, 78.5 per cent of the road network in the city of Bristol is currently in need of repairs.
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Its analysis states: "This means just one in five roads in Bristol (21 per cent) are in good enough condition to not require any work. Despite this, current plans show just 4.4 kilometres of road (0.4 per cent of the road network) will receive strengthening, resurfacing, or surface dressing treatment by April 2023.
"The city’s B and C roads are most in need of work, with 85 per cent of these marked as amber or red in the Road Indicator Report, compared with 72 per cent of A-roads and motorways."
The council blames the age of the (more than 700) roads in the area, and the impact of the weather on their poor conditions. Repairs for most roads in the UK fall under the responsibility of councils, while motorways and A-roads are supervised by National Highways.
Bristol City Council says it intends to invest a further £2.5 million into road repairs in the next financial year starting in April. Last year, it said there are four times fewer potholes on Bristol’s roads than there were ten years ago. And the number of other ‘defects’ on the roads has also more than halved in the decade since 2012, the council said.
Blackburn with Darwen’s roads were named the second worst condition in England, with 76 per cent needing improvement. The table below shows the five local authorities in England with the highest percentages of roads which require improvement:
- Bristol, South West 78.5%
- Blackburn with Darwen, North West 76%
- Cheshire West and Chester, North West 72%
- Derbyshire, East Midlands 71%
- Knowsley, North West 64%
Julie Daniels from the car insurance team at Comparethemarket said: "It is possible to claim for damage caused by potholes and poor road surfaces through your car insurance, but just be aware that it might affect your no-claims bonus, and could lead to a more expensive premium the following year.
"You’ll also have to pay an excess – which is the amount of money you’ll have to contribute towards a claim. This amount differs depending on your Insurance premium, so it's best to check before making a claim.
"If you’re attempting to claim from the council, you'll need to take plenty of pictures of both the road and the damage to your car and note exactly where on the road the pothole is in relation to landmarks and get a few quotes from mechanics for how much it will cost to fix."
Last November when Bristol Live reported on complaints about potholes on a particular mini roundabout, the man in charge of Bristol's roads said the number of potholes in Bristol is down by 60 per cent since 2016. Cllr Don Alexander added at the time:
"We’re making good progress across the city but unfortunately, the council doesn’t have the capacity to address all remaining potholes simultaneously, so we have to prioritise repairs based on a matrix which takes a number of factors into account such as the size of the pothole and risk of injury...We’ve reduced the number of potholes across Bristol by over half and will continue to address the remaining ones based on the risk they pose."
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