Latest

Nearly 1 million potholes reported across UK since January 2024 in 5-year high

15 January 2025


On National Pothole day (15th January), new analysis shows that local authorities received nearly 1 million (952,064) reports of potholes between January and November 2024 – the equivalent of 3,122 reports each day. The analysis from non-profit Round Our Way highlights that the conditions that lead to potholes – water, traffic and freeze-thaw cycles – can be made worse by extreme weather due to climate change, with fears about the effects on road safety for drivers and cyclists.

The story was featured on The Daily Mail, The Daily Star, The Mirror, Chronical Live, York Press and more. 

The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail 

The figures, uncovered through a Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by Round our Way, show that, in Britain:

  • The 952,064 reports of potholes between January and November 2024 puts 2024 at the highest number of reported potholes in 5 years, with only 11 months currently accounted for with the 2023 figure at 950,213 for a full 12 months, and 2020 seeing 642,137 potholes reported.  
  • Between January 2020 and November 2024, almost four million (3,903,861) reports of potholes were reported to councils. 
  • Between January and November 2024 local councils in England recorded 848,001 reports of potholes, in Scotland 69,886 and in Wales  34,177.
  • Between 2020 and 2024 the The South West of England has recorded by far the most potholes (866,035), with the West Midlands (568,158), Yorkshire and the Humber (382,546) and East Midlands (341,103) following behind

Potholes are becoming an increasingly prominent issue for both motorists and cyclists across the country. Exacerbated by severe weather, the conditions that lead to potholes can be made worse by extreme weather due to climate change.

Dr Benyi Cao, Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Surrey, said: “Climate change is having a significant impact on the state of our roads, with severe weather accelerating damage and increasing the prevalence of potholes. In northern parts of the UK, for example, warmer winters driven by climate change are leading to more frequent freeze-thaw cycles. This process, where water enters small cracks, freezes, expands, and then thaws, causes extensive weakening of road surfaces. Combined with heavier rainfall and fluctuating temperatures, these effects are placing unprecedented stress on our road infrastructure.”

Latest data from the Met Office UK State of the Climate Report found that 2023 was the seventh wettest year on record since 1836. Further analysis from World Weather Attribution found that Autumn and winter storm rainfall in 2023/24 in the UK and Ireland was made about 20% heavier by human-caused climate change.

Addressing the situation requires both immediate repair work of existing road damage and long term solutions to limit the impact climate change will have on councils and communities across Britain.

The Mirror

The Mirror

Sofie Jenkinson, Co-Director of Round our Way, said: “The scale of the pothole problem on UK roads is becoming critical, meaning that getting from A to B is becoming more difficult for all of us. The impact of extreme weather can only add to concerns that we are not prepared for the impact of climate change on this crucial part of our nation’s infrastructure.

Not only do we need to see immediate response to the increased amount of potholes on our roads, from continued funding through to improved road surfaces but we need politicians to take the cause of increased extreme weather due to climate change seriously – taking action to reduce emissions and secure clean energy sources for the future to ensure these impacts don’t continue to become more frequent and more damaging.”

The Daily Star

The Daily Star 

CASE STUDIES

Pothole “wipes out” cyclists

York electrical contractor Kevin Farrell was one of five cyclists injured in a pothole-related accident while cycling with his club on a summer’s evening in 2018.

Riding in a group, Mr Farell, 59, said the front rider suddenly fell "and that wiped out the rest of us, we all went down".

They found out later that the man’s bike wheel had struck a pothole. “His front tyre exploded but luckily he escaped without major injury. The rest of us were not so lucky.”

Mr Farrell, who was riding at the back of the group, flew through the air, hit the ground face down and briefly lost consciousness.  Bleeding kidneys, fractured bones and cuts and bruises were sustained by other riders in the group.

“My helmet undoubtedly saved my life, and my cycling glasses protected my eyes from serious damage. It could have been a child," added the grandfather-of-one.

Mr Farrell needed surgery to repair a torn nose and lip and had to have a CT scan. For days he could only sip liquids and soup through a straw and needed weeks off work.

More than six years on, his nose is still misshapen and he has scar tissue. “It still weeps a little now,” he said.

He hasn't cycled again on Wigginton Road, where the accident happened.

“I still cycle in York but I look for good quality roads,” he said, adding that “many of our roads are dangerous for cyclists. It’s not only the heavy traffic, but also drivers not being aware of potholes, which are getting worse and more prolific. They are also often hidden by puddles.”

Kevin after injury due to pothole-related accident while cycling

Kevin after injury due to pothole-related accident while cycling

Mr Pothole: funding won’t fill the gaps

Mark Morrell, 64, from Northamptonshire, is known to millions as the nation’s ‘Mr Pothole’, keeping a close eye on our roads for over a decade and being a thorn in the authorities’ side in his efforts to ensure they are fixed.

“Rain is such a killer for our roads,” he said. “You really want water to arrive and leave as quickly as possible. Climate change does mean more extremes, which are not at all friendly to our road network.”

A grandfather of nine and former gas engineer, Mr. Morrell observed that potholes were becoming increasingly severe, often requiring emergency repairs.

Mr Morrell’s efforts to highlight the state of our roads has led to some successes prompting legal notices to get roads resurfaced. He’s also helped hundreds of people with claims advice following damage to their cars.

However, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the state of the problem on UK roads in recent years.

He said potholes are “getting worse and end up needing emergency repairs, there’s been a massive increase in that. Defects are reported but then there’s no action for months. Repairs should be done in hours, not in weeks or more”.

He highlighted the increased risk potholes pose to motorcyclists and cyclists, with fatalities occurring annually, and said car drivers were at risk too. “Even motorways can be treacherous, including the M25 a few weeks ago. We were lucky then that there wasn’t carnage, although many cars were damaged. Drivers had to stop and there were really long queues.”

Mr. Morrell was disappointed at the government’s recent announcement of £500 million for pothole repairs. “We have a backlog of carriageway works of £16.3 billion in England and Wales. You can see just how little this funding will achieve. It’s nowhere near enough, we need so much resurfacing.”

More needs to be done to understand the impact of climate change on potholes

Dr Benyi Cao a Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Surrey said:

“Climate change is having a significant impact on the state of our roads, with severe weather accelerating damage and increasing the prevalence of potholes. In northern parts of the UK, for example, warmer winters driven by climate change are leading to more frequent freeze-thaw cycles. This process, where water enters small cracks, freezes, expands, and then thaws, causes extensive weakening of road surfaces. Combined with heavier rainfall and fluctuating temperatures, these effects are placing unprecedented stress on our road infrastructure.

To tackle this growing challenge, a proactive and collaborative approach is essential. First, investment in research and innovation is needed to develop more resilient road materials and designs. In addition to developing these technologies, it is critical to support field trials to test their effectiveness under real-world conditions. This will help refine solutions and build the confidence needed for widespread adoption.

Equally important is the urgent need for predictive modelling to understand how road infrastructure will respond to future climate conditions. Such models can guide planning and investment by forecasting areas of greatest vulnerability and prioritising intervention.

“By taking these steps—investing in research, trialling new technologies, promoting adoption, and developing predictive models—we can build more climate-resilient roads, reduce pothole-related damage, and improve road safety for years to come.”


Topics: Roads

Sign up to our newsletter