Nottinghamshire receives more pothole repair funding than English average

New research has named the local authorities in England which received the greatest additional funding from central Government to repair potholes in 2023.

It was released ahead of National Pothole Day on January 15 which aims to raise awareness of poorly-maintained roads, and the impact they have on cyclists, drivers and other road users.

Compensation experts at claims.co.uk Analysed data from the Department for Transport to find the additional funding that was allocated to local authorities in England for pothole maintenance and compared it with the total length of road managed by each.

The analysis found Nottinghamshire was provided with £1,231.82 per mile of road to fix potholes.

On average, councils were provided with £1,163.80 per mile.

Of these areas, Brighton & Hove had the greatest budget-per-mile, with £1.547.46, followed by Milton Keynes and Cheshire East, while Blackpool had the lowest budget at just £961.44 per mile.

A spokesperson for claims.co.uk suggested potholes are more problematic in the south east, which is where nearly half of the 10 local authorities that received the most additional budget per mile are.

They added: "In comparison, nearly half of the 10 local authorities that were allocated the least additional budget per mile are in the north east of England, suggesting potholes are less of an issue here."

The figures come as separate data from the RAC shows pothole-related breakdowns jumped by more than 15 per cent in the final three months of last year.

From October to December, RAC patrols assisted 4,709 drivers for damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels – the callouts most likely to be caused by wear and tear from defective road surfaces.

This was 669 more than the 4,040 recorded in the third quarter of 2024.

The RAC warned the number of pothole breakdowns could increase even more in 2025 following the recent severe weather conditions, which in during the cold period earlier this month meant it had one of its busiest periods for breakdowns in the five years since the pandemic.

Alice Simpson, spokesperson for the RAC, said: "In the aftermath of this month’s blast of snow and ice, we may see the unwelcome trend continue in 2025 as excess water freezes and expands in cracks on the roads.

"To prevent water-damaged roads in future, we urge local highways authorities to resurface those in the worst condition and surface dress other roads to stop them deteriorating further."

Nottingam MP Lilian Greenwood (Lab), minister for the future of roads, said the Government has invested £1.6bn to fix up to seven million more potholes across England this year, and wants to ensure safer, smoother journeys to reduce delays and save drivers money.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said the Government's road maintenance funding builds on the extra £69bn already given to councils across England, ‘to help them drive forward the Government’s plan for change through investment and reform’.