‘Lancashire is pothole capital of North’

Data compiled by the website ‘Fill that Hole’ suggests the county has 2,646 road craters still awaiting repair.

That’s hundreds more than any other northern county, and places Lancashire sixth in the whole of the UK for the number of potholes.

A spokesperson for Fill that Hole explained how potholes are logged independently by members of the public, mostly cyclists.

The information is then shared with highways authority, who can mark the offending pothole as fixed. And while Fill That Hole points out that their figures could be skewed by the number of cyclists in that region, they say it still represents an important snapshot of the state of the nation’s roads.

They also argue that our highways will only continue to fall apart due to a chronic lack of funding for repairs. A spokesperson said: “It’s typically cyclists who report potholes to FillThatHole.org.

“And as they account for a very small per cent of all road users, we suspect that our pothole statistics are just the tip of the iceberg.

“We know the scale of roads needing repairs is massive and this isn’t about pointing the finger at local authorities, or accusing them of not doing their jobs properly. We want to help councils to identify potholes promptly so that they can be scheduled for repair.

“Highways authorities have a legal responsibility to ensure roads are in a safe condition. But they can only do so when they’re aware of the issues.

“And funding is still a huge issue. The Government has made £6bn available for pothole repair — when authorities actually require £12bn.

“It’s a sticking plaster to mend a broken leg and local authorities can only work with what they’re given.”

Last week, the Lancashire Telegraph featured a story about a councillor’s claim that Ribble Valley and Rossendale were getting more funding for potholes than Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle.

Ranjen Gohri, of UK breakdown firm 24|7 Vehicle Rescue from Clayton-le-Moors, says authorities spend a fortune - roughly £3.1 million per year - to compensate victims of damage.

He said: “Potholes are the sworn enemy for a great many motorists. They puncture tyres, buckle alloy wheels, damage shocks and struts, cause suspension damage and break components, while also causing breakage to exhaust systems.

“And that doesn’t just hit drivers financially, it can leave them stranded at the side of the road waiting for recovery.

“With such a huge preponderance of potholes in the UK right now, it simply increases the risk of you breaking down.

“We’d advise everyone to prepare for such an eventuality by making sure you’ve got spare warm clothes and a blanket for you and your children.

“A torch, high visibility vest and a warning triangle can help keep you safe by the side of the road, too.”

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Mr Gohri added: “The figures aren’t going down. And they’ll only continue to rise as the Government continues to fail to invest in our road infrastructure. The underlying problems that cause the potholes are not being remedied.

“They simply fill the hole as a temporary measure before this deeper defect returns with a vengeance a few months, or even weeks, later.

“Yes, it’s more expensive and intrusive to repair the road properly, but the current approach is a false economy.”

Fill That Hole, meanwhile, is run by the membership organisation ‘Cycling UK’.

They suggest around 6,500 cyclists are injured each because of potholes.

Sam Jones, Campaigns Coordinator, added: “While the number of KSIs (Killed and Seriously Injured) due to defective road surfacing was thankfully down in 2015, the overall trend is worryingly on the up.

“Potholes are a real problem for people cycling, especially during the autumn and winter months when they are harder to spot due to the poorer light, ground water or leaf fall.

“Every year, Cycling UK helps thousands of our members with pothole related injuries and damages to make claims against local authorities.

“If the roads were in a fit state, there would be no need for cash strapped councils to be paying out nor families across the country having to struggle with the loss of a loved one.

“Rather than building new roads, the Government should adopt a “fix it first” policy. The UK has an estimated £12 billion pothole problem that a £6 billion pothole fund is meant to fix by 2021.

“If the Government was serious about mending our roads, it would reallocate funding from the £15 billion Road Investment Strategy and give local authorities the means to bring Britain’s roads into an acceptable condition.”