The overall maintenance budget of England and Wales’s road network has fallen by £220 million since 2014, despite traffic increasing by 11.4 billion miles in the same timeframe.
The research carried out by AA Tyres found that the annual money spent on pothole repairs has also fallen, with £42 million less spent on fixing them since 2014. That equated to 1,748,916 being fixed in England and Wales – 35% less than in 2014.
AA Tyres also asked more than 20,000 AA members to share whether their cars had suffered issues from potholes in the last two years and found that 32 per cent had incurred damage. Tyres, wheels, suspension or bodywork were all damaged in incidents involving unrepaired road surfaces.
Figures from the Department for Transport showed that traffic has increased from 283.3 billion miles in 2014 up to 294.7 billion miles last year, meaning that as more people use the roads, the lack of spending means more of our roads are in disrepair.
Director of motoring services at AA Tyres Simon Benson said: “With the government allocating significantly smaller budgets for highway maintenance, the country’s roads are suffering and we’ve seen a sharp decline in the number of potholes repaired each year since 2014.
“A distinct lack of funding means that the country’s roads are deteriorating, putting drivers at risk and making pothole-related damage to cars increasingly likely.”
Benson also advised: “You should reduce your speed if you know you’re approaching a pothole as this will lessen the chance of serious damage to tyres, wheels and suspension. Do the same if you’re approaching standing water as this may disguise a deep and potentially dangerous pothole.
“If you do hit a pothole with some force, stop when it’s safe to do so and check your tyres for any obvious damage such as a split or bulge. If the steering pulls to one side or if the car handles oddly, or there are unusual vibrations then get your tracking and suspension checked as soon as you can.”