To mark National Pothole Day, Go.Compare Car Insurance can reveal the top ten counties in England and Wales whose roads are most peppered with potholes today.
Topping the peak pothole list was Derbyshire County Council, which reported 215,787 potholes over three years between January 2020 and December 2022.
Two more northern counties took the 2nd and 3rd place spots, with Durham and Lancashire County Councils featuring respectively, with more than 180,000 potholes reported in the same three-year period.
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The comparison site submitted more than 300 Freedom of Information requests to councils across England and Wales to find out which areas had the most pothole reports. This research discovered that 2.4 million potholes were reported across England and Wales between January 2020 and December 2022.
Welsh County | Potholes (2020-2022) | |
1 | Caerphilly County Borough Council | 29,885 |
2 | Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council | 16,511 |
3 | Cardiff Council | 7,696 |
4 | Ceredigion County Council | 7,223 |
5 | Denbighshire County Council | 6,469 |
6 | Swansea City and Borough Council | 6,315 |
7 | Isle of Anglesey County Council | 6,098 |
8 | Gwynedd County Council | 3,982 |
9 | Newport City Council | 3,922 |
10 | Conwy County Borough Council | 2,837 |
In total, five counties in England reported more than 100,000 potholes on their roads, with Surrey and Northumberland County Council taking the 4th and 5th spots on the list.
Across the UK, motorists’ frustration is being fuelled by potholes on the roads, with a recent survey from Go.Compare finding that 48% of motorists name potholes as their biggest motoring worry.
Tom Banks, at Go.Compare said, “With winter weather making road conditions difficult, the continued plight of the pothole is evidently frustrating for many drivers. “Whether because of the risk of accidents or the costly repairs they can cause, the pesky pothole is a common enemy of UK drivers. “While there is little that drivers can do to change the quality of the roads, there are things that they can do to limit the risks to their cars, and wallets. |
Britain’s ‘pothole plague’ took even more of a toll on drivers in 2023 as RAC patrols attended nearly 30,000 pothole-related breakdowns over the course of the year, up by a third (33%) on 2022.
Roadside patrols at the motoring services company went out to 29,377 breakdowns in 2023 – the equivalent of 80 breakdowns a day – for faults including broken suspension springs, damaged shock absorbers and distorted wheels. |
“Make sure you always take caution when driving, especially on unfamiliar roads. If you are really worried about potholes, then planning your route before your travel and taking care to avoid narrow and rural roads could help you avoid roads which are less maintained.”
For those unfortunate enough to have sustained damage to their vehicles by hitting a pothole, Tom advised, “Make sure you report it, whether you intend to claim or not.
“As long as it is safe to do so, collect evidence to identify the potholes, take note of its location and get a photo of the pothole. You should also photograph and damage it has caused to your car or van and use this when reporting it to the relevant authority.
“Pothole damage to your car can be costly, so it is important to make sure you have an effective car insurance policy in place. A fully comprehensive policy will mean that should your journey not run as smoothly as intended, your pocket is protected.”
Two years ago, Kwik Fit looked at the pothole costs and came up with the following information.