A local authority campaign to clear up potholes has improved UK roads, according to a ‘Streetwatch’ survey by the AA, but they still found an average of 6.25 per mile.
Participants in the survey were asked to walk a route in their local area for around 60 minutes – typically covering around two miles – and they found the number of potholes in roads has improved from an average of 14.9 per survey last year to 12.5 this year.
Scottish roads had the most reported potholes with 8.9 per mile, followed by Yorkshire/Humberside with 8.5, and the fewest were reported in London with 4.9 per mile and the South West with 5.2.
Poor quality road repairs were seen 7.8 times in the average survey, compared with 6.2 times in 2011, while inspection covers that were at different level to the road cropped up 3.6 times versus 4.5 in 2011.
AA president Edmund King said: “Only recently, the Local Government Association warned that potholes may again become a serious problem this winter with local authority budget cuts biting and no likelihood of extra government cash.
“The AA Streetwatch survey has found that, although patching up the roads after last winter’s ravages has brought some improvement, their condition is on a knife-edge and drivers are still likely to have to dodge potholes.
“We also had individual reports of deep potholes which are a total menace in the dark or in rain when often they are not spotted until it is too late. The deep potholes damage tyres and wheels and are a major safety risk for cyclists and motorcyclists.”
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