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Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Should heavier cars be taxed more to cover the cost of fixing potholes they create?
Half of drivers have backed calls for heavier motors - particularly lorries - to pay more road tax that can then be ring-fenced for repairs of pothole they are responsible for causing. Some 48 per cent of drivers think weightier cars should pay more Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) to reflect the greater impact they have on road conditions, according to a study by Kwik Fit. While there are calls for vans and big cars to incur a pothole levy to pay for the much needed improvements to Britain's crater-filled roads, the majority of drivers think operators of HGVs should make the biggest contribution to repairs. Almost three in five of the 2,000 drivers surveyed said that HGVs should pay an additional levy to be set aside for road maintenance budgets, while 44 per cent believe delivery vans should pay an additional tax for the same purpose. This comes after This is Money reported the true cost of Britain's pothole crisis for drivers has risen to £320 - this is the average associated repair bill motorists face, according to figures from road safety charity IAM RoadSmart. Britain's roads are so littered with craters - over one million - that the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) has revealed it will take an estimated £16.78bn to tackle the backlog of repairs, leading the Government to announce new measures to tackle them. While the majority of drivers are all for heavier cars and vehicles paying more to use the roads in order to compensate for the added toll on tarmac, not everyone is in favour. A small number, 17 per cent, disagree that HGV operators should pay an additional levy, while 23 per cent are against vans facing additional charges. One in five (21 per cent) are opposed to heavier cars paying more road tax. And when drivers were asked if they would be happy to cough up more money to improve road surfaces around the UK, the research clearly shows that motorists already feel they are personally paying enough to support our road maintenance budgets. In contrast to a levy on HGVs or vans, only a quarter of drivers would be prepared to pay more 'road tax' to be ring-fenced for road repairs in their local area. Dan Joyce, operations director at Kwik Fit, said: 'Our new research highlights that there are no easy answers as to how this [road maintenance] is funded. Motorists already feel that they are contributing enough so it is understandable that they want the additional burden to be on the heavier vehicles believed to do the most damage to road surfaces. 'Of course, any costs placed on businesses through levies on HGVs or delivery vans are likely to be passed through to the end consumer, so it's critical that potential measures are not looked at in isolation.' Kia's £65,000 EV9, which has a kerb weight of 2,664kg and a maximum load weight 3,240kg Heavier cars are increasing damage to UK roads The AIA in 2024 found that Britain's growing road repair crisis has been fuelled by 'increased average vehicle weights on a deteriorating network'. New cars have been growing at an annual average of 10kg heavier and half a centimetre wider in recent years, also driven by growing demand for SUVs, reports have found. The increase in heavier vehicles and cars was said to be helping push Britain's crumbling roads to 'breaking point'. Just last week the Government announced that millions of drivers will have an updated category B driving licence - by far the most common type held by tens of millions of motorists in the UK - to allow these licence holders to get behind the wheel of heavier vehicles. Drivers can now pilot vehicles with a heavier maximum authorised mass (MAM) of up to 4,250kg, having previously been limited to 3,500kg. However, the new rules apply to electric vehicles only because electric SUVs - which are laden with weighty battery packs to deliver long ranges on a full charge - are now teetering dangerously close to the previous MAM restriction. How much are drivers having to shell out to fix pothole damage to vehicles? This year's ALARM Report from the AIA revealed that the estimated £16.8billion road repair backlog bill has increased by 42 per cent since 2016. Kwik Fit Pothole Impact Tracker published earlier this year highlighted how the cost to drivers has increased during the same period: Motorists are facing higher costs of 150 per cent to repair pothole-caused damage. Last year, the country's drivers paid a total of £1.7billion to repair vehicle damage caused by potholes. And while the IAM RoadSmart data last week put the average repair bill at £320, other drivers are having to stump up three times that to repair or replace damaged wheels, shattered suspension components and broken steering parts. Some five per cent say they paid more than £1,000 getting their motors fixed after driving through a pothole during the 12-month period. The road safety charity said potholes are not just a 'danger to motorists and cyclists alike' but they have become a 'substantial financial burden' on drivers. Our five-step guide to making pothole compensation claims 1. Collect the evidence If you're a motorist looking to make a claim for a repair bill for pothole-related damage, or a cyclist putting in a damage or personal injury claim after hitting one in the road, the first port of call is to make a note of where the pothole is located, the time and date of the incident, and take a photo of the pothole. A pothole needs to be at least 2 inches deep to be deemed a pothole in the eyes of councils. And it's not just the depth and size of the pothole that councils will try to use to refuse paying out compensation. Local authorities may defend a claim if they successfully argue that the pothole was not an obvious hazard - or if they were unaware of it, despite having in place a reasonable system of inspection and repair. To improve your chances of a successful claim, it will help to demonstrate whether the pothole was an obvious danger or not. Where possible, take photos at the scene, just in case the council repairs the pothole before you can return to take them. If you didn't do this at the time of the incident, you can return to the scene to take pictures. You should also take a photos of the damage the pothole has caused to your vehicle (or person, if you have been injured). If possible, take your car to a garage and ask for a mechanic's report in writing for the projected cost to fix the issue caused – or if your motor isn't drivable, phone a reputable repair centre and request a quote. 2. Work out who is to blame To make a claim for compensation, first you need to know who should pay out. If the pothole is on a motorway or main trunk road, the chances are it is a National Highways (formerly Highways England) problem. For local roads, you will need to research which council is responsible. Once you've identified the party you need to contact, request a copy of highway maintenance schedules and number of reported incidents on the particular road for the previous 14 days as evidence that the road hasn't been properly maintained or a reported pothole hasn't been addressed. 3. Make the claim You'll need to issue a formal claim to the local authority or National Highways and most responsible parties will have a template you can request from them. 4. What to do if you do - or don't - get a compensation offer After making the claim, you should be notified if compensation is being granted. Though you can still reject the value of the offer if you believe it isn't sufficient, especially if you have evidence that the pothole had already been reported but the responsible party had not acted to rectify it. If the council refuses compensation, you can seek legal advice or make a case through the courts. However, a word of warning that this could be a time-consuming process and is likely to be worthwhile only if the repair bill is considerable. 5. Final option: Make a claim through your insurance If you have comprehensive cover, you can claim for pothole damage on your insurance policy. However, it's worth considering the cost of the damage as well as your excess payments and if this action will affect your No Claims Bonus.
Daily Mirror
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Pothole damage soars as RAC reveals number of call-outs from drivers doubles
Breakdown service the RAC says drivers are being left with a huge bill for repairs caused by UK's potholed roads - and the problem is getting worse The shocking state of Britain's potholed roads has been laid bare as the RAC revealed callouts to damaged cars more than doubled in the first three months of this year. Its patrols dealt with nearly 9,500 pothole-related breakdowns - typically damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels - between January and March alone. The figure was over double the number between October and December and almost a fifth more than the same time last year. The issue of potholes, routinely cited as a major bugbear for motorists and other road users, are likely to on voters' minds in the forthcoming local elections. Potholes are often formed when water freezes and expands after entering cracks in road surfaces. Research last month from the Asphalt Industry Alliance put the estimated bill for filling all the potholes in England and Wales at a record high of almost £17billion. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said broken roads 'can risk lives and cost families hundreds if not thousands of pounds on repairs', adding that councils should 'get on with the job' of repairing them. RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: 'Our pothole-related breakdown data is a very clear reflection of the true state of the UK's roads, and it sadly shows the pothole plague is as prevalent as ever. Suffering a breakdown due to wear and tear caused by the poor quality of roads is frustrating beyond belief, particularly as the average cost of repairing anything more than a puncture is £460. The cost of motoring is high enough already without having to fork out extra money to get your car back on the road. 'Drivers shouldn't have to bear the brunt of these costs - they're only having to because the roads have been allowed to get into such a dire state. After filling dangerous potholes as permanently as possible, we urge councils to prioritise preventative maintenance such as surface dressing to stop future potholes appearing.' The number of pothole breakdown in the first three months of 2025 equated to 1.5% of all RAC breakdowns – a big jump on the fourth quarter of 2024 (0.8%) and the first three months of 2024 (1.1%). Local roads maintenance funding for England provided by the Government for this financial year is nearly £1.6billion - a rise of £500million compared with the previous 12 months. The increase is estimated to be enough to fix around seven million potholes. A quarter of the uplift is being held back until authorities have provided evidence they are using the funding wisely. Local Government Association transport spokesman Adam Hug said: 'Greater, long-term funding certainty for local highways authorities - with five-yearly funding allocations on a par with National Highways - is needed to tackle the multibillion-pound local roads backlog. This will enable councils to better monitor, plan for and invest in preventative treatments, which keep surfaces in better condition for longer and are cheaper than reactive repairs. The one-year boost to pothole funding confirmed earlier this month is good, and recognition that funding had been inadequate to keep roads maintained.' A Department for Transport spokesman said: 'This Government is ending the pothole plague on Britain's roads. 'We are investing £1.6billion to help local authorities resurface local roads and fix the equivalent of up to seven million extra potholes over the next financial year. With the average driver forking out nearly £500 to repair serious pothole damage, we know that fixing cratered roads is not just about pride in our communities, but the pound in people's pockets too. 'The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing a quarter of our record funding boost.'
Telegraph
25-03-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Labour-led council workers tarmac around parked van
Labour-led council workers have tarmacked around a parked van. Parked half on the pavement and half on the road in Wollaton, Nottingham, the white Transit-style vehicle is now surrounded by freshly laid tarmac, while under its wheels the old faded grey road surface can still be seen. Neighbours 'had to laugh' after pictures taken on March 23 reveal the workers' decision to continue with the job despite the hurdle. Gemma Hatvani, a resident, said: 'Great tarmacking. Honestly it's such a c--- job I had to laugh.' It comes as Sir Keir Starmer announced he would force town halls to publish their plans to tackle potholes or 'risk losing crucial funding'. Ms Hatvana added: 'The roads in Wollaton are disgraceful. I have been reporting some of them for years. The roads near the schools are appalling; they are so bad in Wollaton. Pot holes everywhere. 'Highways were told years ago to fix some of the really bad roads and they still haven't been done yet.' After Ms Hatvani posted the image on social media, others made light of the resurfacing. Suzanne Croft added: 'You've got to laugh or it would make you cry.' While Sharon King, another commenter, joked: 'More pot hole for next year.' The Asphalt Industry Alliance said last week the cost of restoring Britain's roads back to good condition had reached a record high £16.8 billion. From mid-April a £1.6 billion highway maintenance fund will be handed to councils to repair potholes. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, has laid out a set of specific requirements councils must meet to access a third of the money. They must publish annual progress reports on their websites by the end of June, detailing how much they're spending, how many potholes they've filled, road conditions and how they're minimising any disruption from road works. They also have to outline plans for long-term prevention and find a solution for dealing with wetter winters, which make damage to roads worse. The Telegraph has launched a nationwide campaign, Fix Our Potholes, to demand local authorities fix their roads and improve conditions for motorists, businesses and emergency services. A Nottingham city council spokesman said: 'People are given advance notice of the work. 'And are asked to move their vehicles for a short period of time when work is taking place.' He said the patch of road would be tarmacked by the contractor on Tuesday.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The 'pothole heroes' fixing Britain's ravaged roads
Keir Starmer has said that potholes aren't "boring" as he vowed to press councils into repairing Britain's roads. The prime minister said that, from Monday, local authorities in England must publish annual progress reports on their plans to fix potholes or risk losing out on their share of £500m of government funding. The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) said this month that the cost of repairing pothole-riddled roads in England and Wales is almost £17bn, a record high. Asked in an interview on BBC Radio 5Live if potholes were "boring", Starmer said: "There will be some people hitting a pothole this morning, and then they are picking up an average £600 bill to their car or their van. 'That isn't boring, that is really irritating. We've got far too many of them, and this is about getting that job done.' But as patience with councils - both from the government and the public - runs thing, some people are taking matters into their own hands and either repairing potholes themselves or using unique forms of protest to highlight the problem. Yahoo News UK takes a look at some of Britain's "pothole heroes". Earlier this month, scaffolder Dermot McGeough, 43, said he had saved taxpayers more than £100,000 by repairing 570 potholes in Devon in the past four years. McGeough, who is also a Conservative Party county councillor, said his efforts in the Appledore, Northam an Westward Ho! areas had saved the public £107,000. He said: "It has been a personal challenge. I wanted to do something about the pothole nightmare in our area, and I took a hands on approach." Read the full story from Devon Live Landscaper and decorator Harry Smith-Haggett, 22, has found a unique way of highlighting potholes in West Sussex since last summer. Through his Pretty Potholes campaign, Smith-Haggett fills in the potholes with flowers, then posts his creations on TikTok, with some videos having more than 3.5 million views. He has filled in more than 100 potholes in Horsham and surrounding areas. He said: 'Everyone's already contacting the council and reporting potholes – but nothing is getting done, so I thought I'd try something different." He said most of the potholes he had filled with flowers had later been repaired by the council. Read the full story from The Telegraph Ben Thornbury, 19, highlighted the pothole problem in his home town by using them to go fishing. He staged a protest in February last year against the state of the roads around Malmesbury, Wiltshire, by pretending to fish in the large craters. He said: "It seems like a plague across the town at the moment and it got much worse due to the winter weather. "So many people have reacted in a positive way and told me thanks for raising awareness." Thornbury has also highlighted the problem by creating a crazy golf course out of the town's potholes. Read the full story from Yahoo News UK In January, residents of a village in Wales, tried to raise awareness of their pothole problem by turning it into a tourist attraction. They put up signs around Pontfadog in Wrexham advertising "Pothole Land". The tongue-in-cheek sign read: "Two kilometres of award winning potholes with very little actual road to spoil your fun." Read the full story from Sky News In February, a frustrated father sick of the state of the roads in his village made a rather bizarre protest. Carpenter James Coxall, 41, made a set of fake legs and put them in a huge pothole puddle on Haverhill Road in Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire. He said the pothole, which was 3ft wide and four inches deep, had been on the road for eight months. Read the full story from Cambridgeshire Live Jenny Paterson, 75, filled in the potholes outside her home in the village of Halkirk, Caithness, Scotland, last summer. She carried out the job on what she called a "12ft crater" with the help of a neighbour using gardening tools. However, a spokesperson for the Highland Council said "it is not appropriate for individuals to undertake repairs on the public highway". Read the full story from The Guardian In April 2022, it was reported that pensioner Elizabeth Williams spent more than £4,000 of her own money to fix potholes on her street. The 89-year-old paid for the repair of the potholes at Wyncote Court in Newcastle-upon-Tyne despite not owning a car. She said: "The potholes were absolutely dreadful. I just wanted to do something about it. It's also a gift to my neighbours, who are very nice, and to our estate." Read the full story from Yahoo News UK The most famous "pothole hero" is probably singer Rod Stewart, who posted a video on his Instagram account in March 2022 which showed him repairing the damaged road near his home in Harlow, Essex. In the clip, Stewart was dressed in a tracksuit and a hi-vis jacket while shovelling and singing. He said: "This is the state of the road near where I live in Harlow and it's been like this for ages. "So me and the boys thought we would come and do it ourselves." Read the full story from The Telegraph
Telegraph
23-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Publish pothole plans or lose funding, Starmer orders councils
Sir Keir Starmer will force town halls to publish their plans to tackle potholes or risk losing crucial funding. For the first time, every council in England will be told they must report the number of potholes filled, with their share of road funding at stake if they fail to comply. The Prime Minister said that that fixing the nation's 'broken roads' was essential for economic growth. It comes after a new report suggests Labour will miss its manifesto pledge to fix a million potholes per year. The Asphalt Industry Alliance said last week that the cost of restoring Britain's roads back to a good condition had reached £16.8 billion, a record high. Sir Keir said: 'The broken roads we inherited are not only risking lives but also cost working families, drivers and businesses hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, in avoidable vehicle repairs. 'Fixing the basic infrastructure this country relies on is central to delivering national renewal, improving living standards and securing Britain's future through our Plan for Change.'
