The existing UK backlog of potholes will take 12 years for local authorities in England and Wales to clear, a new report has claimed.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) survey of local authorities has also found that the cost of repairing Britain's potholes has risen by £1.5bn to £12bn over the past twelve months.
Over 2 million potholes were repaired last year; however, the record rainfall and flooding this winter has hampered efforts to solve Britain's pothole crisis.
In addition to this, there is a significant shortfall in the budget needed to repair the potholes. The figure is currently around 20 per cent off what is required due to local authorities using the cash to maintain last year's deficit.
Downing Street claims it spent £1bn during 2013-2014 on road maintenance, with the Chancellor setting aside a further £200 million in the latest budget; however, it seems that further investment will be needed if Britain's roads are to be brought up to scratch.
Around 18 per cent of all UK roads are in a poor structural condition, according to the AIA, and a fifth of roads have less than five years of life remaining.
The AIA is urging the government to adopt an 'invest to save' policy to reduce the backlog of potholes. It also claims that repairing potholes is little more than a 'sticking plaster' and that full road resurfacing, while more expensive initially, works out cheaper in the long term.
Compensation claims for pothole damage have risen by nearly 20 per cent over the past year to an average of 540 per local authority, at a total cost of £31.6 million.
Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter
| Popular news stories |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
