The UK's worst winter in 30 years has contributed to a sharp rise in potholes with the number increasing by 60 per cent over the past two years and as a result some residents are now facing a "snow tax" to pay for the additional road repairs.
The trade body for road menders, the Asphalt Industry Alliance, estimates that with the average cost of repairing potholes was £70 and with a pothole every 120 yards, it would take more than 15 years to fix them all, and the cost to local authorities could be £10 billion.
Some councils have approved council tax rises to pay for the repair bill of more than £1 million a day.
North Yorkshire County Council has imposed an increase of 2.94 per cent – up from an original 2.5 per cent – to fund its maintenance bill, adding almost £5 to an average Band D bill.
"This amounts to a snow tax. Of course the snow has caused problems but the council has £15 million in reserves to deal with unforeseen emergencies like this," said Bill Hoult, the council’s Lib-Dems leader.
Conservative leader John Weighell said it was the lowest increase the council, recently criticised for spending almost £28,000 resurfacing a dead-end farm track, had approved for 16 years.
He called on the Government to approve extra funding for repair work.
It is estimated the number of craters on Britain's 246,000 miles of secondary routes (excluding motorways or A-roads) has risen to more than 1.6 million, with an increase of 700,000 in the past two years alone.
Wet weather combined with freezing conditions destroys tarmac, as ice seeps into the road, expands and the enormous pressure splits the bitumen.
Last year the short cold snap cost local authorities almost £50 million in compensation claims for injury and damage, with an average driver facing a £240 repair bill.
An LGA spokeswoman said the "harshest winter for 30 years has left councils with a massive repair bill at a time when finances are squeezed".
"Potholes are the gaping sores in our road network and councils know how much motorists hate them. They are working flat out to carry as many repairs as possible."
"Councils are doing their best to balance the books without passing costs on to residents but funding available is limited."
Priory Road in Hull, East Yorkshire, was recently named the worst road in Britain after 319 potholes were found over just 400 yards! It was resurfaced last month.
How the Pros fix potholes in roads, drives and paths
You can easily do a DIY pothole repair using Permanent Pothole Repair PRR or Instant Road Repair IRR, but now, with a little bit more money, you can get a Pro pothole repair.
Here's how...
Choose a Pothole Repair Kit – we've added the secret ingredient, Ultracrete SCJ with it. It's a sealer which goes around the edge of the pothole to get the extra durable finish.
Ultracrete Permanent Road Repair available for sale now!
It's here! Ultracrete Permanent Pothole Repair (PRR) is a good solution for repairing potholes in roads, driveways, paths and car parks. It's so easy, DIYers can easiliy do it. One major advantage is you can drive or walk on it straight away even in wet, freezing or hot conditions, and at the same time is compatible with the existing road surface.
Ultracrete Permanent Pothole Repair includes fully graded, High PSV interlocking aggregate and specially formulated bitumen, and is supplied in 25kg recyclable containers (Instarmac Plastic Containers Recycling Scheme is available for this product).
Things to do with it...
Driveway pothole repair
Tarmac drive repair
Garden path repair
Things you might get paid to do with it...
Footway repair
Cycle track repair
Road repair
Car park repair
Tell me about the good points!...
Use in wet, freezing and hot conditions
No special preparation
Instant trafficking
Only one visit required
Recyclable containers
Compatible with existing road surface
Solvent free
How do I use it?
Brush out any debris from the pothole
Optional: For increased durability, spray sides with SCJ
Fill in the pothole with Instant Road Repair
Smack down with spade or tamper
Ready for immediate use
It really is that simple!
Aggregate grades
3mm Black for paths, drive, cycle tracks, pavements, driveways
Knowing how potholes are formed will help you prevent them forming
Freezing conditions are the favourite breeding conditions for potholes, as you will have read, local authorities are bracing themselve for a pothole repair bonanza.
A lot of you have asked us how potholes are formed and how you can repair them.
Here's a bit of information on how potholes are formed.
As your tarmac drive ages it gets more porous. Rainwater penetrates cracks caused by regular from cars pulling onto your driveway.
When water freezes on your drive it expands and more cracks form. The tarmac gets pushed outwards like a bubble.
When the ice thaws out, it creates voids or gaps under the surface of your tarmac drive or path. These get larger with each time it freezes and thaws again.
The weight of your car causes your drive tarmac to collapse and form potholes which gets larger the more times you roll over it with your car.
So, what do we suggest to fix a pothole easily with a long lasting repair?
Freezing weather and snow causes even more potholes in UK roads
It will cost millions of pounds, but it is a job UK Councils will need to fix them. Extra teams will be out fixing potholes, as failure to fix the potholes will cause the holes to get bigger and more expensive to fix.
Potholes are a big problem for local authorities across the country with the repeated freeze-thaw cycle of the current cold spell, its timing and its length making the problem worse this year.
Potholes are formed by water penetrating the asphalt surface of a road through cracks caused by traffic. When temperatures plunge, the water freezes, expands and causes the surface to rupture. When the ice melts, it leaves a void below the surface, which caves in under the stress of vehicles and eventually forms a pothole.
A small crack becomes a large crack, a large crack has become a small pothole and a small pothole very rapidly becomes a large pothole.
During the cold snap in February last year there was an estimated 40% increase in road damage, according to the AA. It says its insurance branch received more than three times as many claims for pothole damage than the same month the year before.
Local authorities are urging people to report potholes. This can usually be done via your council's websites.
There are also a number of other websites offering advice on dealing with and reporting potholes.
Give us a minute and see how easy it is to fix a pothole on your drive or path
Check out our latest DIY video and you'll be amazed how easy it is. And it's less than a minute!
Ultracrete Instant Road Repair by Instarmac is used on motorways as a tarmac repair compound, so it's great for your driveway or path! Really quick to use, cheap and totally durable and 'Best in class'. Use Instant Road Repair for a good quality long-term temporary repair to mend potholes in driveways, paths, drives, roads, cycle tracks and car parks. Instant Road Repair comes in a handy bucket.
Ultracrete Instant Road Repair is a Permanent Cold Lay Surfacing Material which conforms to Highways Agency specification – you can pop this fact into a conversation with the neighbour!
Designed for permanent reinstatement in footways, footpaths, cycle tracks and roads. Also highly effective as a quality long-term temporary repair for the above applications.
What I can fix...
Driveway pothole repairs
Garden path pothole repairs
What I probably won't be fixing unless I'm getting paid...
Footway repair
Cycle track repair
Road repair
Car park repair
What's really great about this stuff...
Instant trafficking – Drive your car on it
Apply in one operation – Easy
Simple packaging disposal – Chuck it in your plastic recycling bin
Use in wet conditions – Can't put the job off!
High skid resistance – Conforms to road safety requirements
Binder is spirit based – Excellent performance in cold weather
Unique aggregate interlocking system – Long-term durability
Part of the Ultracrete Ironwork System 5 year reassurance
