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An estimated £18.6 billion is required to repair all the potholes on local roads throughout England and Wales, according to a warning from the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), the body responsible for overseeing road surfacing. Their recent study highlights significant concerns about the current state of the road network maintained by local councils.
The AIA’s research reveals that only 51% of the local roadways are considered to be in good condition, based on reports from the respective authorities. It also found that roads are resurfaced approximately once every 97 years on average. Alarmingly, nearly one-sixth of these local roads—more than 32,500 miles in total—have less than five years of structural life remaining, underscoring the growing urgency of the problem.
The annual report, compiled from a survey of local authorities completed between December and February, showed that 79% of councils contributed data indicating that additional investment aimed at reducing potholes has failed to produce significant improvements. Throughout the past year, close to two million potholes were repaired, but experts estimate that each council would have needed an extra £8 million just to maintain current road conditions and avoid further deterioration.
Addressing these issues comprehensively would cost around £18.6 billion and take nearly 12 years to complete. It’s important to note that this figure does not include repairs on motorways and major highways, which fall under the management of National Highways in England and Trunk Road Agents in Wales. Potholes typically develop when small cracks in the road surface, caused by traffic, allow water to penetrate; freezing causes expansion that enlarges the cracks, eventually creating holes. David Giles, chairman of the AIA, described the situation as a “national disgrace.” He acknowledged that while £7.3 billion has been pledged over the next four years for local road maintenance—roughly £1.8 billion per year—this funding alone is not enough to quickly eliminate the backlog. Giles urged that accelerating the release of funds would help improve conditions faster rather than spreading increases over time until 2030. A spokesperson for the Department for Transport acknowledged the report’s findings, noting the government’s commitment to increasing funding to help councils address the “pothole plague” and highlighting that 2025 has seen 15% more pothole-prevention work compared to 2024
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