Pothole reports soar in Wolverhampton and Staffordshire

Motorists have become increasingly frustrated with the state of roads in the two areas as data showed a big leap in the number of potholes being flagged up.

Reported potholes rose nearly 50 per cent in Wolverhampton between 2016 and 2017, from 960 to 1,434.

In Staffordshire, a much larger area, the total more than doubled from 2015 to 2017, from 6,344 to 16,401. It meant an increase of 159 per cent over two years. County council chiefs have announced a £5 million investment on to repair crumbling roads in Staffordshire, where new pothole ‘zapping’ velocity patching machines have been rolled out.

Workmen have faced a battle to keep up with the number of potholes in Wolverhampton, with several examples of crumbling roads causing problems for drivers, including on Bushbury Lane, near KFC, and the roundabout connecting Stafford Road and Three Tuns Lane.

There was a small rise in reports in Worcestershire, from 3,429 in 2016 to 3,958 in 2017, while the number of pothole reports in Birmingham actually reduced, from 17,908 in 2016 to 15,133 last year.

Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall councils did not provide figures.

Nationally, more than half a million potholes were reported to local authorities for repair in 2017 - an increase of 44 per cent from two years earlier.

The RAC said it believed the increase in reports was 'proof' the condition of roads are worsening.

Head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “It is shocking to see the number of reported potholes in Britain has risen by nearly 50 per cent in two years. Our own analysis of breakdown data shows the damage suffered by motorists is a constant source of frustration and expense, but the scale of the problem is obviously far greater than the numbers show.

“Perhaps motorists are more inclined to report pothole defects than they were a few years ago, but we believe the sheer size of the increase is further proof the condition of our roads is worsening. With over half a million potholes reported in 2017 and a more accurate figure for all authorities, including those that didn’t provide data, likely to be in excess of 674,000, this is sadly just the tip of the iceberg as thousands will go unreported every year."

Helen Fisher, highways boss at Staffordshire County Council, said: “In the last two years the council has allocated £10 million to tackling potholes. Add a further £11.1 million of funding from the Government over the same period and it’s clear Staffordshire is working hard to deal with the problems.

“We have a huge rural network, stretching out more than 6,400km, and maintaining it is a huge undertaking especially where defects start to show in the winter months."