Drivers Furious as Councils Ignore Potholes Under One Foot Wide
Motorists are frustrated as councils refuse to fix smaller potholes, risking vehicle damage and safety.
Hertfordshire: It’s been a rough ride for drivers lately. Many are fuming because councils won’t fix potholes unless they’re at least a foot wide. Can you believe that? Almost one in eight highway authorities in England have this rule. It’s like they’re waiting for a disaster to happen before they take action.
Take Hertfordshire County Council, for example. They won’t even consider repairing a pothole unless it’s 300mm wide and 50mm deep. This has left many drivers, like Anthony Norden, feeling pretty helpless. He reported a pothole back in March, but when his wife hit it in December, it caused serious damage to her tire.
And he’s not alone. Local councils received nearly a million pothole reports just this year. But of the 145 authorities surveyed, many won’t act unless the pothole is at least 40mm deep. Some councils, like those in Hampshire and Buckinghamshire, are just as bad.
Hertfordshire stands out, though, with over 1,900 compensation claims from drivers for vehicle damage due to road defects last year. That’s a lot of unhappy motorists! Yet, only 13% of those claims were successful. Fixing a pothole costs about £79.53, but damage to cars can run much higher, sometimes over £500.
Councillor Phil Bibby claims they prioritize repairs based on various factors, but many drivers are still left frustrated. Meanwhile, Labour’s Rachel Reeves has promised significant investments to improve the road network, saying potholes are a visible sign of neglect. Let’s hope something changes soon!