BRITAIN’S ‘pothole plague’ took even more of a toll on drivers in 2024 as RAC patrols attended thousands of pothole-related breakdowns over the course of the year.
The UK is thought to have more than one million potholes, with these road defects being one of the leading causes of car breakdowns. Currently, the Government has a pot of £5 billion to tackle the problem up until the end of 2025.
But what is the current state of our roads? Find out with the RAC Pothole Index.
How many potholes are there in the UK?
Each year the RAC estimates drivers have to battle against at least one million potholes on the country’s roads, but the actual number will vary from season to season.
It is estimated that, on average, there are around six potholes per mile on council-controlled roads in England and Wales.
In 2023, separate data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request provided a glimpse into the scale of the UK’s pothole problem.
The FOI request was sent to all of England’s 185 county and district councils, with 81 providing a response. Of these, 556,658 potholes were reported in England in the financial year of 2021/22 – a figure that would be far higher if every councils had provided data.
It’s important to note that the FOI request did not include road defects within Wales, Scotland and Northen Ireland – this means the true number of potholes in the UK is likely to be two or three times higher than the 556,658 that was reported.
What’s more, between 2022 and 2023, 1.4 million potholes were filled in England and Wales – down from 1.7 million the year before.
(Sources: Liberal Democrats, GOV.UK, Asphalt Industry Alliance)
Current state of Britain’s potholes
Pothole-related breakdowns jumped by a fifth (17%) in the final three months of 2024 compared to the previous quarter, a sign of the ongoing poor condition of Britain’s roads, breakdown data from the RAC shows.
RAC patrols went to the rescue of 4,709 drivers from October to December for damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels – the call-outs most likely to be caused by wear and tear from defective road surfaces. This was 669 more than the 4,040 recorded in the third quarter of 2024.
In the same winter period, almost four-in-10 breakdowns (39%) the RAC attended were a result of punctured tyres, due to potholes along with other factors like nails and screws. This was the highest proportion of breakdowns caused by punctures in any quarter during 2024.
Sub-zero temperatures, along with water from rain, melted snow and ice are normally the cause of potholes as water freezes and expands in cracks in the roads. Although there were fewer frost days and nearly a third (28%) less rainfall than average in the fourth quarter of 2024, the number of pothole breakdowns still rose.
The number of pothole breakdowns could increase even more in 2025 following the recent severe weather conditions, which last week meant the RAC had one of its busiest periods for breakdowns in the five years since the COVID pandemic.
Garage data analysed by the RAC shows that drivers of typical family cars can expect to pay an average of £460 if their car needs fixing after hitting a pothole, for anything more serious than a puncture. This is around 43% more than the average cost of pothole compensation claims paid out by councils to drivers in 2023 at £260 per claim, according to FOI data.
RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “The poor condition of Britain’s roads is by far and away drivers’ top concern, yet despite the mild weather our figures show there was no relief from the problem in the final quarter of 2024 – with our patrols attending more pothole-related breakdowns compared to three months earlier.
“In the aftermath of this month’s blast of snow and ice, we may see the unwelcome trend continue in 2025 as excess water freezes and expands in cracks on the roads. To prevent water-damaged roads in future, we urge local highways authorities to resurface those in the worst condition and surface dress other roads to stop them deteriorating further.
“Hopefully the Government funding announced before Christmas will go some way towards literally filling in the cracks, giving road users smoother, safer surfaces. The £1.6bn allocated to pothole repairs is the biggest one-off road maintenance settlement councils in England have ever been given. What’s especially positive is it comes with guidance to use the money wisely by carrying out preventative maintenance, which we hope stops more potholes appearing in the future.”
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https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/rac-pothole-index-statistics-data-and-projections