The Government must cough up an eye-watering £30 billion if it is to rid Britain of its pothole infested roads, according to a leading campaigner.
It comes after a survey suggested 2.7 million cars have been forced off the road as a result of pothole damage.
Speaking to GB News, the campaigner known as ‘Mr Pothole’ said the Government must focus on fixing Britain’s roads rather than undertaking the more laborious task of filling in each individual pothole.
He told Patrick Christys: “Repairing our potholes is a waste of money and time. We need to repair our roads.
Mr Pothole says an eye-watering total needs to be spent on fixing Britain's roads
GB News / PA
“They’re past their sell by date. It’s quite easy for the general public to see that, but the Government seem to ignore the fact that you need to invest in the asset.
“I produced a graph that showed, back in the year 2000, £14 billion was £3.7 billion. If the Government went ahead with the 10-year plan that was proposed by one of the ministers, we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.”
Maintenance specialists Kwik Fit questioned 2,000 drivers on their experiences in the last 12 months, finding 57 per cent of drivers had hit at least one pothole a week.
It was also revealed by the study that the equivalent of 13.1 million cars had been damaged in such an incident.
Mr Pothole, real name Mark Morrell, told Patrick Christys that the Government will need to shell out a huge sum of money in order to deal with the issue fully.
He said: “I got a road resurfaced properly in Oxfordshire with a local newspaper recently, and it cost £800,000.
“It is expensive. The material is expensive and roadworks aren’t cheap, and this was just a carriageway.
“There’s a £6billion backlog in bridge maintenance. If you look at footpaths, bridges, structures, maintenance, drainage, I believe that we’re looking at more like £30 billion according to my studies.”
The cost of fixing potholes across England and Wales is estimated at £12.6 billion.PAThe annual report Pothole Impact Tracker (PIT) found that the average repair cost drivers have been forced to pay was £127, with issues arising such from burst tyres to broken suspension components.
Kwik Fit’s communications director Roger Griggs has urged more drivers to report their experience of hitting a pothole, even if they feel their vehicle has not accrued any damage as a result.
He said: “We know councils have huge demands on their budgets, but it is better that they are aware of a pothole as early as possible.
“The condition of road surfaces only goes in one direction, so the longer a problem is left, the more costly it will be to repair.
“And obviously, in the meantime, the more damage it will be doing to vehicles and causing problems for drivers whose vehicles are off the road.”
He also urged drivers to make completely sure their vehicle has not sustained any damage after hitting a pothole.
He said: “Drivers who do hit a pothole should make sure they thoroughly check their vehicle to ensure the impact hasn’t done any damage.
“This may not be obvious at first, because the impact could cause a slow puncture, cracked wheel rim, misalignment or other tyre damage which may not be immediately apparent.
“We recommend drivers who have experienced a particularly heavy impact to keep a close eye on how their car is handling in the days following the incident and if they have any concerns take it into a garage where it can be put on a ramp and checked thoroughly.”
