Pothole crisis

16 March 2012  

A company that sells extended warranties for cars has called on regional authorities to end what it calls a ‘pothole crisis’ stemming from what it sees as a ‘patch and mend’ policy that results in the damage reappearing in a matter of weeks.

Despite a mild winter, Warranty Direct says that the problem is worse than ever, causing unnecessary breakdowns, dangerous evasive manoeuvres and average repair bills of £319. The firm has set up a website calling on local authorities to focus on prevention rather than patch-ups, by deploying a strategy of resurfacing to combat the immediate reappearance of poorly filled craters.<

A spokesman said: “It’s simply not acceptable for local authorities to patch-up roads that resemble the surface of the moon – they need to be resurfaced.”

“Local and residential roads are regularly ignored. Councils need to be creative, enlisting local businesses and spending the money there as wisely as possible, not wasting a penny on repairs which only last a matter of days sometimes.”

“A lack of foresight is often to blame; if every council had at least a passable ‘pothole plan’ they’d be better prepared and all of us would be spending far less time and money fixing our cars.”  

While warranty firms and motorists might curse the condition of the nation’s roads, there can be no doubt that the situation has contributed to a year-on-year rise in sales of steering and suspension components.