Potholes have become a surprisingly hot-button political issue in the UK over the last decade. Just last year, the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) said the roads in England and Wales were at “breaking point”, with their research rating 36% of our roads as only ‘adequate’ and 17% as ‘poor’. Last year, local authorities were expected to fix more than two million potholes, and understanding how to fix a pothole is a subject the general public has become more interested in.
Potholes can cause vehicle damage, burst tyres and make driving more stressful than it should be. According to research finance specialists, RIFT, this problem cost motorists an estimated £1.7bn in 2022, based on data from Kwik Fit showing that 13.3m cars racked up an average repair bill of £127 due to potholes. The condition of the road surface is arguably even more important to vulnerable road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists, for whom a sudden loss of control can lead to a greater likelihood of accidents and injury.
The response from road users has been understandably strong – and sometimes, surprisingly creative. The community of Pontfadog in the Ceiriog Valley, for example, used humour to point out the problem in their hometown and raise awareness of what they describe as ‘years of concerted council inaction’, making a feature of their potholes by turning them into a tourist attraction. In Sussex, a landscaper and decorator even launched his own “Pretty Pothole” campaign, using them to plant flowers.
Can you Repair Potholes Yourself?
Potholes are such a visible and exasperating issue that some people may decide to take matters into their own hands and learn how to repair potholes themselves. But while it is certainly possible to repair potholes yourself, it does come with some caveats.
A high-profile case of DIY road improvement involved Sir Rod Stewart, who donned a hi-vis vest and went to shovel gravel near his home in Harlow, Essex. For road authorities, however, the rockstar had set a bad example. Both the RAC and Stewart’s local authority released a statement letting people know that they shouldn’t attempt to repair potholes on council roads in response to his actions.
This is because working on the road can be dangerous, and councils will use experts to assess the state of the road surface and decide the best course of action according to pre-defined procedures. Perhaps the most important thing, however, is that anyone who fixes the road could later be liable for any defects or accidents that subsequently occur – with the RAC recommending that people report any issues and allow the local authority to deal with them.
That being said, some councils have trained volunteers to fix potholes to solve the problem of limited funds.
Who is Responsible for Fixing Potholes on Public Roads?
Public roads and motorways are cared for by public bodies such as local authorities, Highways England and Transport for London. If you aren’t sure who is responsible for fixing a pothole on a road, you can contact Highways England who will be able to inform you.
Who is Responsible for Fixing Potholes on Private Roads?
Not every road is owned by the local authority or traffic board, and areas such as private car parks can also develop potholes – so who is responsible for fixing them? In this case, the owner or tenant (depending on the contract) of the land or ‘unadopted road’ has to abide by ‘the common duty of care’, which outlines that they should ‘not allow injury to come to any visitors’. This is taken to mean that the owner/tenant must take responsibility for fixing potholes.
What is the Best Material to Fill Potholes With?
Even if it is not advised to fix potholes on roads under the purview of a public body, you may be responsible for a private road or carpark, or you may be a homeowner who wishes to fix their driveway. In such scenarios, you might be interested in having a brief understanding of the best material to fill potholes.
While the answer will depend on the type of road surface (for example, if you have a dirt or gravel driveway, you may use tamped-down gravel to repair the surface), products such as UltraCrete Permanent Pothole Repair offer versatile and long-lasting solutions. A HAPAS-approved cold-lay tarmac is easy to apply, and can be used both in planned and reactive pothole repairs.
What Equipment Do You Need to Repair Potholes?
Anyone attempting a pothole repair will need a punner – an instrument designed to compress and flatten small patches of tarmac and other repair materials to ensure a smooth and compacted surface. You will also need a joint sealer and banding tape to prevent water ingress and ensure the repair is durable, alongside a stiff brush, shovel and gas torch.
What are the Steps for Repairing a Pothole?
It is possible to find pothole repair tutorial videos on YouTube to acquaint yourself with the process, but as a rough guide, here are the steps for repairing a pothole:
One: Remove loose debris from the pothole, using your hands for larger pieces of broken road surface and a brush and shovel for the more gravelly material. You may also need to cut a neat square around the hole, depending on its size and shape, and clear the surrounding area of debris.
Two: Spray the pothole with joint sealer, paying particular attention to the vertical edges. This will improve the bond strength of your repair.
Three: Fill the pothole with your repair material. The solution should stand slightly above the rest of the road surface.
Four: Use your punner to tamp down the surface of your repair. This ensures the material is well-compacted and there aren’t gaps which will later fill with water and create more problems later down the line. When you are finished, the surface should be level with the rest of the road and smoothly applied.
Five: Place banding tape around the edges of the pothole repair to seal it. You will need to use a gas torch to melt the tape onto the surface, where it will cure and adhere.
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Potholes have hit the headlines repeatedly in recent years, and they are a significant cause of road user frustration. Recent news of an innovative self-healing bitumen infused with plant spores could be the breakthrough that makes potholes a far less common occurrence, as it has been proven to mend cracks as they form by fusing the asphalt back together. In the meantime, however, the public bodies charged with caring for our roads will need to be vigilant to the issues potholes cause and invest in timely repairs, ensuring our roads remain as safe and usable as possible.
