UK's pothole nightmare hotspots listed - 15 of the worst areas in the country

18 April 2023 , 21:04

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A total of 556,658 were recorded in the financial year 2021/22 (Image: Maureen McLean/REX/Shutterstock)

Potholes are the stuff of nightmares for many of Britain's motorists and some areas in the UK are far worse than others.

A freedom of information (FOI) request by the Liberal Democrats revealed some can take up to 18 months for them to be fixed.

A total of 556,658 were recorded in the financial year 2021/22, a massive increase from the 519,968 recorded in 2017/18.

The unwanted crown of the longest time taken to fix a pothole went to Stoke-on-Trent, where there was a road divot that was not dealt with for 567 days.

Westminster City Council also left one for 556 days and another pothole in Norfolk took 482 days to be repaired.

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East Sussex and Wiltshire also had potholes that took over a year to fix.

The figures also showed that Derbyshire County Council had 90,596 potholes, Lancashire County Council had 67,439 and Northumberland County Council had 51,703.

UK's pothole nightmare hotspots listed - 15 of the worst areas in the country

A pothole-ridden street in Stoke-on-Trent (Stoke Sentinel)

Despite the long waits, Newham Council in London still averaged the worst wait time of anywhere in the country, with the borough council getting to plug the tarmac holes around 56 days after they were reported.

Lambeth, also in the capital, took an average of around 50 days to fix each pothole.

Number of potholes recorded in the financial year 2021/22

Derbyshire - 90,596
Lancashire - 67,439
Northumberland - 51,703
Surrey - 43,191
Cornwall - 24,836
North Yorkshire - 22,094
West Sussex - 21,785
Staffordshire - 20,764
Somerset - 19,299
East Sussex - 13,081
Hampshire - 12,556
Essex - 12,421
Cheshire West and Chester - 9,998
Nottinghamshire - 9,645
Cheshire East - 8,202

The government has said they will invest billions in maintaining roads in the country.

Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to tackle the problem of potholes and said extra fines and more inspections will help clamp down on utility companies that may damage roads.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We're investing more than £5.5billion to maintain roads up and down the country, and cracking down on utility companies that leave potholes in their wake, so motorists and cyclists can enjoy smoother, safer journeys."

Mr Sunak says billions is being invested in Britain's roads, but analysis suggests more money is needed to address the problem (PA)

The Asphalt Industry Alliance published its annual local authority road maintenance study, estimating it could cost £14.02billion to address the backlog of repairs on Britain's roads.

Labour called the Prime Minister's vow a "broken promise".

Shadow Local Government Minister Sarah Owen said: “In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, families cannot afford the added expense of car repairs caused by potholes.

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The Labour Party says its councils spend more on fixing potholes than Tory-run authorities (Katie Pugh)

“The Prime Minister vowed to make potholes a thing of the past but, in another broken promise, he’s left eight million of them on our roads.

“Despite less and less support from central government, Labour councils are continuing to deliver for their local residents - investing more than Tory councils to remove the scourge of potholes from our roads.”

Recently released analysis by the Labour Party claims £9.88 per person is spent on the 21.5million people living in Labour-run councils from a budget of £212million.

This was compared to £5.64 per person by Conservative-controlled councils from a budget of £164million for a population of £29.1million.

The worst areas for potholes by the time taken for them to be fixed are as follows: