Potholes are a growing problem in the UK and they can cause serious damage to tyres. But, how come there are still so many, despite the Government promising funding to solve the issue? Vanarama's Laura Day reports.
A website set up by a cycling organisation has been logging potholes reported by drivers and cyclists, in order to highlight the big pothole problem in the UK – in the hope that it will raise awareness for the need to sort it out.
The details
More than 100,000 dangerous potholes on local roads have been reported to Britain's councils and remain unfixed. Local authorities have started to question why this is the case.
The problem is that there's a lack of Government funding to solve the problem.
Of all the UK councils, Surrey has the biggest backlog of unfixed potholes. A Surrey County Council spokesman said: "We're working incredibly hard to improve Surrey's roads – potholes are fixed at a rate of around 260 a day – but as Surrey has some of the country's busiest roads, wear and tear really takes its toll."
A spokesman for Fill That Hole (a pothole action site), said the figures may be slightly skewed, but said it was still a strong snapshot of the state of the Nation's poorly maintained roads. The UK's roads are in desperate need of a little TLC.
Top 10 councils with the most reported potholes:
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Surrey County Council - 6,733
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Kent County Council - 3,194
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Hertfordshire County Council - 3,124
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Essex County Council - 2,989
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Lancashire County Council - 2,703
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Glasgow City Council - 2,486
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Buckinghamshire County Council - 2,484
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Hampshire County Council - 2,411
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Oxfordshire County Council - 2,345
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Cheshire East Council - 2,306
What next?
In November 2017, Chancellor Phillip Hammond promised an additional £45 million to solve and fund the pothole problem in the UK.
However, it seems that the money has not been split evenly between Highways England (responsible for major roads) and the local authorities, in order for them to tackle smaller problems such as potholes.
The local authorities can only work with what they're given, and in the absence of any proper funding, it's up to us to take extra care when driving in order to minimise damage to our vehicles.
So, remember to be super vigilant on the road – try not to speed down country lanes, as they are where you're most likely to run into a surprise pothole or two!
If you would like to read more about the pothole problem, click here.
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