Britain's pothole hotspots: Interactive map reveals the areas where roads are worst blighted by craters - so, how does your hometown stack up?
- READ MORE: World's first pothole ROBOT hits the roads in Hertfordshire
For drivers who endure Britain's crumbling roads daily, there's no doubt we're stuck in an escalating 'pothole crisis'.
These dangerous holes can injure and even kill cyclists and motorists, and are popping up quicker than they can be filled.
Now, interactive graphics reveal the shocking extent of the problem - and scientists think climate change is to blame.
Climate organisation Round our Way reveals 952,064 potholes were reported in Britain between January and November last year, marking a five-year high.
MailOnline's interactive map, based on the new data, reveals the local authorities with the most pothole reports during the period.
Edinburgh is the local authority with the most for the year (32 potholes per mile), followed by Kirklees in Yorkshire (26.1) and Newcastle upon Tyne (26).
Also in the top 10 is Hillingdon in London (24), Cheshire East (19.8), Darlington (16.9), Bolton (16) and South Gloucestershire (16).
So, how does your hometown stack up?
The new figures, uncovered through a Freedom of Information (FOI) requess by Round our Way, shed light on the crumbling state of British roads (file photo)
Potholes are created when water seeps into the roads, freezes, expands and in turn forces cracks and weaknesses in the road surface.
As traffic pass over these weak spots, the weakened road material is displaced or broken down from the weight, creating the pothole.
Dr Benyi Cao, lecturer in environmental engineering at the University of Surrey, blames climate change for the surge in potholes.
'Climate change is having a significant impact on the state of our roads, with severe weather accelerating damage and increasing the prevalence of potholes,' he said.
The scientist links climate change with more 'freeze-and-thaw cycles' – where temperatures drop low enough to freeze water (32°F), then increase enough for it to thaw again – and in turn more potholes.
'This process – where water enters small cracks, freezes, expands, and then thaws – causes extensive weakening of road surfaces,' Dr Cao said.
'Combined with heavier rainfall and fluctuating temperatures, these effects are placing unprecedented stress on our road infrastructure.'
The new figures, uncovered through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Round our Way, shed light on the crumbling state of British roads.
While potholes can be a very costly inconvenience for drivers, they can be tragically fatal for cyclists and motorcyclists. Pictured, a Hertfordshire resident last year
Aerial shot reveals the shocking state of Westgate Road, Beckenham, South East London, where massive water-filled potholes are more akin to small pools
Britain's local authorities received 952,064 reports of potholes between January 1 and November 1 last year – the equivalent of 3,122 reports each day – making 2024 the worse year for British potholes since 2019.
Of the 2024 total, England had the vast majority of pothole reports (848,001) during the period, followed by Scotland (69,886) and in Wales (34,177).
Between January 2020 and November 2024, the total potholes reported to British councils was a whopping 3,903,861 – made up of 3,453,754 in England, 296,017 in Scotland and 154,090 in Wales.
Looking specifically at regions, the East of England (including the likes of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire) was the worst for this five-year period with 280,740 pothole reports.
This was followed by East Midlands (341,103 reports), London (177,421), North East (264,038), North West (282,943), Scotland (296,017), South East (290,770) and South West (866,035).
Rounding out the list was Wales (154,090), West Midlands (568,158) and Yorkshire and the Humber (382,546).
In 2020, pothole reports fell to 642,137 – largely due to Covid restrictions which reduced traffic – but climbed back up to 749,790 in 2021.
Reports again fell to 609,657 in 2022 before soaring to 950,213 in 2023 and 952,064 in 2024 (for the first 10 months of the year).
While potholes can be a very costly inconvenience for drivers, they can be tragically fatal for cyclists and motorcyclists
A robot can fill in cracks in the road before they become potholes, potentially saving local councils vast amounts of time and money
'The scale of the pothole problem on UK roads is becoming critical, meaning that getting from A to B is becoming more difficult for all of us,' said Sofie Jenkinson, co-director of Round our Way.
'The impact of extreme weather can only add to concerns that we are not prepared for the impact of climate change on this crucial part of our nation’s infrastructure.'
While potholes can be a very costly inconvenience for drivers, they can be fatal for cyclists and motorcyclists.
Poor road surfaces contributed to 517 accidents in 2018 – including eight fatalities and 348 serious injuries – the Department of Transport reported.
In an attempt to solve the crisis, the world's first pothole robot, created by University of Liverpool spinout Robotiz3d, was rolled out to British roads last year.
Called ARRES (Autonomous Road Repair System) PREVENT uses AI to automatically detect, categorise, and fill in cracks.
Should the test be successful, the robot could catch and repair cracks before they become too big to fix more quickly than human workers.
