Potholes cost British drivers £1.7bn a year in repairs
Extra government money is a "drop in the ocean"
BRITISH drivers spend a staggering £1.7bn a year repairing damage to their vehicles caused by potholes, according to new figures.
Data from WhoCanFixMyCar.com, an online car repair and service marketplace, shows the average repair cost for pothole damage is £157.75. Fixes can involve anything from wheel realignment to steering rack and bodywork repair.
One in three drivers report pothole damage every year, according to the website, equating to more than 10.5m drivers needing repairs as a direct result of the UK’s crumbling roads.
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Potholes can be a much bigger problem after spells of sub-zero temperatures, such as Britain has experienced recently, as water from rain or snow seeps into cracks and expands as it freezes.
It was reported last week that nearly 25,000 miles of Britain’s roads have been issued with a red alert for potholes, meaning they will become dangerous by the end of the year if repairs aren’t carried out.
The government has committed an extra £100m to repair potholes around the UK but Alistair Preston, co-founder of WhoCanFixMyCar.com, said this is a drop in the ocean compared to the cost to drivers.
He added: “It’s about time the state of our roads was taken seriously – particularly when drivers have been picking up both the tab for repairs and road maintenance through taxation for so many years.”
