National Pothole Day: Send us photos of the Black Country's worst road defects
Few things are more frustrating than having to try and avoid potholes when driving along. In fact, one of the handful of things that is more annoying than attempting to miss potholes, is hitting one and damaging your vehicle.
The state of the country's roads is often a cause for concern amongst motorists.
Research by the AA shows it dealt with 631,852 pothole-related incidents in 2023, the highest total for five years.
Last year, the motoring organisation reported that 42 per cent of drivers surveyed in the West Midlands said their residential roads were in a terrible condition.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Step out your front door and you won’t have to travel too far to find a pothole. Years of underinvestment in the nation’s roads means we are seeing more potholes develop than ever before.
“It’s not just road surfaces that need upgrading. Worn road markings, damaged signs, streetlights no longer working, and overgrown hedgerow covering signs are all too common on UK roads."
Winter is a prime time for potholes, as cold weather followed by rain causes more cracks to appear in our road surfaces.
The AA says the main pot-hole breakdowns are punctures, wheel damage and even suspension faults. Rain-obscured potholes can also prove extremely dangerous and indeed fatal for cyclists and motorcyclists.
The issue is so irritating there's now a whole day dedicated to it; Monday is National Pothole Day.
On National Pothole Day, drivers are encourage to report ones that come across and learn more about their causes.
We'd like to see examples from around the Black Country and Staffordshire. Use the Send Us Your News page on the website, and include a photo, details of where the pothole is, any issues it's caused (such as collisions, vehicle damage, people trying to avoid it etc), how long it's been there and any other relevant information.
