UK potholes mapped: Search your postcode to see how bad roads are near you

A pothole plague is blighting Britain’s roads and costing drivers a fortune in repairs. The issue is consistently one of the biggest bugbears for motorists, as well as proving a serious hazard to motorbikers and cyclists.

But if you have ever wondered just how rotten the state of your local roads are, now you can find out. Exclusive data from roadside breakdown giant the supplied to the allows you to search up your area, based on how many call-outs it has had for -related problems.

And although don’t need to be reminded, the issue is getting much worse too. As the RAC recently revealed, it dealt with - damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels - between January to March this year.

The figure was more than double the number between October and December, and almost a fifth more than at the same time last year. And the bill for repairs can run from a few hundred pounds to thousands.

Use our map below to check how bad potholes are where you live

The RAC handled a total of 22,703 pothole-related breakdowns in 2024 - or around 62 on average every day, although the numbers change season-by-season. That was actually down from 29,377 in 2023 but higher than in 2022.

It is estimated that, on average, there are around six potholes per mile on council-controlled roads in England and Wales alone. Government data analysed by the RAC of roads in England show many are in a dire state, with nearly one in five councils having surfaces that are in a “red” - or poor - condition.

The local authority with most of its B and C roads in a red condition is Derbyshire, with 38%. The London boroughs of Merton and Havering have 34% and 26% respectively, with Nottingham in fourth spot with 21%. Derbyshire was also top for having the most major roads in “red” condition with 28%. Nottingham was second most (19%), closely followed by Brighton and Hove (18%).

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.”

A report in March put the estimated bill for filling all the pothole ravaged roads in England and Wales at a record high of nearly £17billion. Over the past decade, 17.5 million potholes have been filled in England and Wales – the equivalent of one filled every 18 seconds, every day. In that time, more than £20billion has been spent on carriageway maintenance.

The report, by trade body the Asphalt Industry Alliance, found it would cost local authorities - which manage 97% of carriageways in England and Wales - £16.8billion to bring the roads they look after up to an ideal condition, with the work taking 12 years to complete.

In the past 10 years, this backlog figure has increased by 42%, from £11.8billion, according to the AIA’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) report, which is based on widespread feedback from councils. The research found 1.9 million potholes have been filled at a cost of £137.4million in the last financial year.

Potholes can also land local authorities with big payouts. The average number of claims received by councils in England and Wales fell by 2.6% to 410 each last year. However, the typical amount paid out on compensation jumped 30% to £19.7million, a figure almost matched by staff costs to deal with claims.

A separate Freedom of Information request to 21 councils – covering nearly 92,200 miles of local roads – found that of the 18 that responded, Surrey County Council saw the biggest increase in claims, from 734 in 2022 to 3,418 in 2023.

Hampshire County Council was a close second, where claims jumped from 750 to 2,654, followed by Gloucestershire County Council, up from 257 in 2022 to 829 in 2023. As well as the , potholes can also be caused by roads being dug up for pipe laying or other works, and not being repaired properly.

According the ALARM report, the average road in England and Wales is only fully resurfaced every 93 years. That ranges from every 25 years on busy roads in London through to once every 225 years - almost never - on unclassified (typically rural lanes) in Wales.

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