Concern about the state of local roads has reached record levels, new research suggests.

More than half of drivers (56%) said the condition and maintenance of roads for which councils are responsible was one of their top motoring concerns, a survey commissioned by the RAC indicated.

That is up seven percentage points from 2023, and is the first time the figure has been above 50% since the motoring services company began including the topic in its annual poll in 2015.

A graphic showing how a pothole forms, starting with water seeping through road cracks, freezing and expanding
(PA Graphics)

Nearly three out of four (73%) respondents to the latest survey said the condition of the local roads they use regularly was poorer than a year earlier, compared with 67% who agreed with that statement in 2023.

The figure rose to 81% for drivers in rural areas.

Some 27% of those questioned said their vehicle suffered damage as a result of potholes in the previous 12 months.

The most common problem reported was a puncture (47%), followed by wheel damage (43%) and broken suspension springs (29%).

The RAC has written to Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and roads minister Lilian Greenwood calling for urgent clarification on the future of local roads maintenance funding.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “These new figures are a damning condemnation of the commitments made by previous governments to fix Britain’s perpetual pothole plague.

“It’s as clear as day that councils simply haven’t had the financial support they need to bring the standard of the roads in their care up to a reasonable standard.

“It is absolutely remarkable that, on average, drivers we surveyed are far more concerned about the state of their local roads this year than they are about either the cost of motor insurance – which has been rocketing in recent years – or the cost of fuel which is still at an uncomfortably high level.

“The new Government simply must do something differently.

“Drivers, who contribute billions to the Exchequer in taxes every year, have been driven to despair by a local road network that, in far too many parts of the country, is just going from bad to worse.

“It shouldn’t be this way. They need something to believe in from both national and local government.

“Anything less than a step change in the condition of the roads over the course of this Parliament simply will not do.”

A report by the Whitehall spending watchdog the National Audit Office, published last month, found the Government has “significant gaps” in its understanding of the quality of road surfaces.

Claire Holland, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, which represents councils in England and Wales, said: “Limited resources and a £16.3 billion local roads repair backlog means councils have had to prioritise road repairs according to local circumstances.

“Inflation and ongoing pressures from other council services mean that money for fixing potholes is constrained.

“The new government should commit to maintain the previous administration’s spending plans for local highways maintenance, alongside the need for long-term funding certainty, to help better support resurfacing schemes and prevent potholes in the first place.”

In October 2023, the Conservative government announced it would provide £8.3 billion of extra funding over 11 years to fix potholes in England.

This was part of its Network North strategy to use money saved by scrapping the planned extension of HS2 north of Birmingham.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Rebuilding Britain means modernising our transport infrastructure, and we are absolutely committed to tackling the poor state of our local roads.

“We will maintain and renew the network, including supporting local authorities to fix up to one million more potholes a year, to ensure our roads serve users, are safe and tackle congestion.”

– The RAC commissioned research company Online95 to conduct the survey of 2,691 UK drivers.