Since the beginning of February, a total of 897 potholes have been tackled by Swindon Borough Council’s highways team, which is an average of 44 every day.
A spokesperson for Swindon Borough Council said: ‘While we know some of Swindon’s roads need improving, these repairs must be risk assessed and prioritised – some of these will require more permanent, long-term repairs.’
A recent survey of councils by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) reported that it would cost a staggering £12.64 billion to return all local roads in England and Wales to a condition from which cost-effective maintenance would be possible.
This figure is up 24% from £10.24 billion just twelve months ago this is despite the AIA’s annual local authority road maintenance (Alarm) survey indicating that the proportion of council budgets allocated to highway maintenance has fallen during the 2021/22 financial year compared with the previous 12 months.
Leader of Swindon Borough Council and transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, David Renard, said: “Despite the efforts of councils, which repair a pothole every 19 seconds, these stark new figures show our local road repair backlog is rising. To clear this growing backlog, councils need further government investment and certainty over future funding over the next decade.”
What is a pothole?
Roads can easily become damaged through heavy use, but not all damage is considered a pothole.
A pothole is defined as being damage that is deeper than 40mm.
Residents may sometimes report what they think is a pothole, but it falls outside this measurement criteria so isn’t classed as one.
