Drivers being put at risk by ‘highways riddled with potholes’
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It comes as the cost of fixing vehicles damaged by potholes reaches a record high. Road conditions in England are “a national embarrassment” and drivers are being put at risk by “highways riddled with potholes”, the head of a House of Commons committee has said.
Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), said roads in such poor condition were “harming the prospects for our economy and communities’ own social wellbeing”. It comes as a damning report by the committee found the Department for Transport (DfT) “has not taken responsibility” for its role in how roads have deteriorated.
The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £16.3 billion. The report stated that the DfT “has not set out what outcomes it expects” from its funding for local roads maintenance, nor “sought to evaluate its impact”.
It added: “The department has overall policy responsibility for local roads but has shown too little interest in what difference its funding of local roads maintenance has made.”. Local roads maintenance funding for England provided by the Government in the 2025/26 financial year will be nearly £1.6 billion, representing a £500 million uplift compared with the previous 12 months.
