saving money....

Potholes are in the news today - not least two articles in the Daily Mail which bemoan the state of our roads.

It seems that after a wet summer and then the coldest winter for 12 years, road surfaces have suffered. The main cause is, of course, potholes which have been inadequately filled, as if they can ever be more than a temporary repair.

The paper estimates that there are something like 3 million potholes across Britain, which at present levels of attention, will take 11 years to repair and a cost in excess of £100 million.

The costs can be high if you drive into one. The cost of a new tyre and wheel can be in the hundreds, and if you damage the suspension much more. We were fortunate on two occasions not to have lost more than a wheel and a tyre. The first time the local council challenged us to take our case to their insurer. On the second occasion we had photographs and statements prepared and they admitted liability very quickly. There may be a moral here!

It seems that 6% of all vehicles will suffer pothole damage every year. Last year's claims were £53 million, plus £12 million in administration. During the year 862,000 potholes were filled in, at a cost each of between £41 and £69 each.

The number of cases is rising, principally I suspect because these repairs are very temporary. One or two outside my home were filled in about three years ago. Within twelve months they were failing at their edges and they are now more or less as they were before the repairs.

The cause is that sheer expense of laying a new surface as compared with temporary filling. It is also due to relatively low priority of roads when a council is faced with demands from central government in other directions and also restricted finances.