UK spends least out of 13 nations on repairing roads ‘blighted’ by potholes

Published

2 years ago

August 12, 2023

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Funds earmarked to fix pothole-plagued roads in the UK have been slashed to lower than 13 other major nations, new figures show.

The cost of repairing roads affected by potholes in England and Wales alone is estimated to be £14bn – while Edinburgh has been branded the pothole capital of Europe, with residents resorting to plugging gaps with traffic cones.

But the government cut annual expenditure on UK road maintenance from £4bn in 2006 to £2bn in 2019 – the last year of international comparable data available.

The US, Japan, New Zealand, Austria and Sweden have all increased spending by around 50% over the same period.

France, Canada and Finland have also ringfenced their pothole repair budget more than the UK.

Only Italy and Ireland have overseen higher cuts to road repairs, according to figures produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The data was analysed by the Local Government Association (LGA) – a cross party organisation that works on behalf of councils to give a voice to local authorities.

It is now calling on all political parties to commit to a 10-year programme where funding for local roads is boosted by devolving the equivalent of 2p per litre of existing fuel duty.

It is hoped the cash injection could help councils reverse the “decline” in road conditions.

LGA chair, Shaun Davies, warned the UK had fallen to “almost the bottom of the league” in terms of the money allocated to repair local roads.

“Decades of reductions in funding from central government to local road repair budgets have left councils facing the biggest ever annual pothole repair backlog.

“Positive extra funding in the recent Budget will help, but councils still face considerable challenges when trying to get on top of this pothole blight.”

Meanwhile the president of AA, Edmund King, said although main roads are repaired “fairly rapidly” in spring, residential and rural roads remain “blighted by potholes”.

‘Threat to vehicles and danger to pedestrians and cyclists’

“This is not only a threat to vehicles but a danger to pedestrians and cyclists who are more active at this time of year,” he added.

Ministers announced funds for “highway maintenance” would increase by £200m in the Spring Budget.

But council leaders said there was a £1.3bn shortfall in the pothole repair budget this year and the £200m was simply “not enough”.

A report found one in five roads – covering 37,000 miles – in England and Wales are in poor condition and have less than five years of life remaining.

A government spokesperson said: “We’re spending more than £5bn from 2020 to 2025, with an extra £200m announced at the budget in March, to resurface roads up and down the country – enough to fix millions of potholes.

“This year we’ve made £58.7bn available to local councils, a £5.1bn increase on last year, the majority of which is un-ringfenced and can be used on local priorities such as road maintenance.

“We’ve also brought in new rules to clamp down on utility companies leaving potholes behind after carrying out street works.”

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But Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, warned: “The prime minister posed as a friend of the motorist – but his broken promises have left millions of potholes on our roads.

“Lined up side by side, the giant Tory pothole would stretch from London to John O’Groats and back again.

“After 13 years, Tory promises, just like our roads, are falling apart.”

UK

Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

Published

13 hours ago

February 23, 2025

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Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

A body has been found in the search for 23-year-old runner Jenny Hall.

She was last seen leaving her home in Barracks Farm, County Durham, in her car just after 3pm on Tuesday.

Police said there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances after a body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale on Sunday morning, five days after she went missing.

“We’re sorry to report that officers searching for missing woman Jenny Hall, have sadly found a body,” Durham Constabulary said in a statement.

“Officers carried out an extensive search alongside specialist partners and have been working around-the-clock to locate Jenny after she went missing on February 18.

“The body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale just after 9.30am today.

“Formal identification has yet to take place. Jenny’s family have been notified and are currently being supported by specialist officers. They have asked for privacy at this devasting time.

“It is not believed there are any suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

A major police search was launched after Ms Hall’s disappearance.

Her car, a red Ford Focus, was found on Wednesday parked on the B6278, near remote moorland between Eggleston and Stanhope.

Mountain rescue teams, specialist drones and sniffer dogs had been combing the Hamsterley Forest and the surrounding areas, where there are a number of running trails, this week.

Digital intelligence officers also carried out extensive inquiries into Ms Hall’s mobile phone, smart watch and running apps.

UK

Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

Published

13 hours ago

February 23, 2025

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Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

A fresh amber weather warning for heavy rain has been issued by the Met Office – with much of the UK already on alert for high winds and showers.

Northern Ireland, Scotland and the UK’s west coast and the Midlands have yellow warnings for wind on Sunday – meaning the possibility of transport delays and short-term power cuts.

There are also rain warnings in place for several parts of western UK.

The new amber warning has been issued for rain in south and central Wales and is in force from 3pm on Sunday to 6am on Monday.

An amber warning means danger to life from floodwater, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, and there is a chance some communities will be cut off.

Winds across the west of the UK will increase throughout the morning with gusts up to 70mph in exposed areas, the Met Office said.

Zoe Hutin, a meteorologist at the forecaster, said Sunday is expected to be the “worst day” before conditions improve.

“The wind warning itself for the mainland UK ends at 6pm, but we can expect to continue to see quite blustery conditions even into the evening as the mainland rain itself pushes through.”

She added: “By the time people get up on Monday, we’ll still have some of the residual rain from that front in the far south-east of the country, and quite cloudy across England as well.

“But actually elsewhere, it could be a decent start.”

The Met Office’s yellow weather warnings for much of England and Scotland came into force at 6am and are expected to run until 6pm on Sunday.

A separate yellow warning for Northern Ireland came into force at 3am and runs until 3pm.

People who have noticed some slightly higher temperatures the last couple of days may be dismayed at the latest predictions.

“Through the week, those temperatures are trending back down,” Ms Hutin said.

“And so it will be getting cooler each day, but they will actually just be recovering to around average for the time of year. So it won’t be cold.

“It will just be returning back to where we would expect to be for this time of February.”

UK

Starmer says ‘US is right’ about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

Published

13 hours ago

February 23, 2025

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Starmer says 'US is right' about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

Sir Keir Starmer has said the United States “is right” about the UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence and security.

The prime minister, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday, said he is clear Britain “will take a leading responsibility” in protecting the continent.

“Instability in Europe always washes up on our shores,” he said.

“And this is a generational moment. I’ve been saying for some time that we Europeans – including the United Kingdom – have to do more for our defence and security. The US is right about that.”

He added “we can’t cling to the comforts of the past” as it is “time to take responsibility for our security”.

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Donald Trump sparked an emergency meeting of European leaders this week after he said European NATO members should spend more on defence, while the US should spend less.

Sir Keir has said he will set out a path for the UK to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, up from the current 2.3%, but has not indicated when that will be.

It is believed he may announce the details when he visits Mr Trump in Washington DC on Thursday, bringing forward the announcement that was expected in the spring when a defence spending review is published.

The prime minister reiterated the UK will “play our role” if required in Ukraine following a peace agreement after he earlier this week said the UK would send troops to be part of a peacekeeping force.

However, his comments caused a row with Germany and Italy who said it was premature to commit to boots on the ground, although France agreed with the UK.

Sir Keir said: “As we enter a new phase in this conflict, we must now deepen our solidarity even further.”

He added: “There can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine.

“And the people of Ukraine must have long-term security.”

This week has seen US officials meet their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia to discuss Ukraine – which has been met with indignation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as none of his team were invited.

No Europeans were invited either, sparking concern the US is pandering to Vladimir Putin.

Sir Keir has promised Mr Zelenskyy he will make the case for safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty when he meets with Mr Trump, who has called the Ukrainian president a dictator.

Mr Trump also said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, who will visit the White House too this week, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.