Drivers are being warned to expect a large surge in potholes due to the rain and freezing temperatures faced in the last few months.
The weather has created “the perfect recipe for potholes to start peppering the roads”, experts at the RAC said. The increased rain water can enter cracks in the road, which will then expand when frozen and potentially cause surfaces to crumble.
The RAC said that pothole-related vehicle breakdowns are already on the rise across the country. Between October and December last year, the breakdown provider said it received an average of 20 call-outs a day for faults such as damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels.
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The figures, released today to coincide with National Pothole Day, were up from 16 a day during the previous three months.
“The wet weather we’ve had both before and after the coldest start to winter in 12 years in December is the perfect recipe for potholes to start peppering the roads,” Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at RAC, said.
“We fear that by the spring, drivers will be plagued by a plethora of potholes across the country’s roads which makes journeys uncomfortable and frustrating or, worse still, could lead to very expensive garage repair bills.
“It’s also important to remember that potholes are so much more than just an annoyance, they are a true road safety danger, especially for those on two wheels as they represent a huge risk to their personal safety.
“There are too many occasions where potholes have been poorly patched up by cash-strapped councils which then return all too quickly.
“It’s frankly absurd that, as a country, we seem unable to get on top of such an age-old problem when roads play such an important role in people’s everyday lives.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We are investing more than £5 billion from 2020 to 2025 into local highways maintenance – including the Potholes Fund announced at the 2020 Budget.
“This will fill millions of potholes a year, repair dozens of bridges, and resurface roads up and down the country.”
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