Pothole-related call-outs tipped to hit new record

The AA has attended nearly 480,000 pothole-related call-outs so far this year, responding to 50,244 incidents last month alone.

This is a four per cent year-on-year increase and the highest since records began in 2017.

It is now warning of a further spike in the coming months due to the recent heavy rainfall, with the latest update suggesting that 2024 is on course to surpass last year’s 631,852 callouts.

Meanwhile, the AA has further claimed that as many as 118 cyclists have been killed over the past four years due to potholes.

Pothole-related call-outs

Labour has pledged to tackle the issue by repairing up to a million potholes every year, although the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) said it would take 11 years for local authorities to fix every crumbling road in England and Wales, and cost a staggering £16.43bn.

The AA has now teamed up with road safety group IAM RoadSmart and other groups to create the Pothole Partnership which is calling for a new wave of funding and guidance for local authorities to address road quality.

AA president Edmund King said:

“The government has the opportunity to make a step change in the spiral of decline by adopting and advocating measures to permanently fix the problem, rather than the past patchwork approach.”