Britain’s worsening potholed roads 'a disgrace'

THE AA says that Britain’s roads are a national disgrace with pothole damage to vehicles costing at least £1 million per month to repair.

The motoring organisation’s insurance arm says claims for pothole damage almost tripled in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same period last year. And by the end of April, claims exceeded the total number made in 2017. 

It says there have been more than 4200 claims made, with average repair bills of around £1000.

Janet Connor, director of AA Insurance, said: “In most cases the damage caused by a pothole, such as a ruined tyre or two and perhaps a wheel rim, doesn't justify making an insurance claim, due to the policy excess and the potential loss of your no claims discount. So the claims we are seeing are clearly much worse than that.

“Drivers are hitting potholes and ruining their suspension, steering, the underbody of the car or axles, and are occasionally being knocked off course and hitting other vehicles, kerbs or a lamp posts.

“This year we're seeing a growing number of pothole claims described as 'car severely damaged and undriveable', which didn't happen at all last year.

“The pothole epidemic has become nothing short of a national disgrace.”

In March the Secretary of State for Transport announced that £100 million would go into road repairs, but the AA says that it’s a drop in the ocean. It reckons that a one-off investment of £9 billion is needed to bring the roads back up to par.

In its own research, the AA found that 88% of people say that the roads are worse than they were 10 years ago. In March 2018, 42% of people said that residential streets were ‘poor’, compared to 34% in March 2017.

While the AA’s concerns might largely be around insurance claims made for damage to cars, potholes are a much graver concern to motorcyclists. Rather than risking a dented rim, the potential damage is to life and limb when you’re on two wheels.