Wet climate causes surge in crashes throughout Britain as drivers hit hidden potholes

The heavy rain at the start of the year has led to more drivers hitting potholes, new figures suggest. 

The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) said the number of damage reports it received this February was three-and-a-half times more than in the same month last year.

It revealed the rise was due to the ‘incredible amount of standing water’ on roads ‘hiding potholes’.

England received 42 per cent more rain than usual last winter, according to the Met Office, with particularly pronounced downpours across southern and central England.

The RAC said it had 6,290 breakdown reports mentioning potholes last month, compared with 1,842 in February last year. And January saw 5,106 mentions at a daily average of 165, up from 63. Hitting potholes can cause damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: ‘There was an incredible amount of standing water and puddles on our roads, many of which were hiding potholes which sadly too many drivers fell foul of.

‘While this amount of rain is hard for the saturated land to cope with, the RAC suspects that poor drainage may also be to blame, possibly as a result of councils not carrying out as much of these works as they have done in the past.’

Mr Williams described water as ‘the enemy of the roads’ because it enters cracks and expands in freezing temperatures, causing potholes. He continued: ‘Preventing water from sitting on our local roads is key to their long-term health, so it’s vital more work to improve drainage is carried out.

England received 42 per cent more rain than usual last winter, according to the Met Office, with particularly pronounced downpours across southern and central England

The weather has led to more drivers hitting potholes ‘due to the incredible amount of standing water on roads’

‘Without this, drivers will continue to have to fork out their hard-earned money on fixing their cars.’ 

RAC figures show a repair bill for a car suffering pothole damage more serious than a puncture can reach £590.

Tom Hunt, who chairs the Local Government Association’s inclusive growth committee, said: ‘Councils are very aware of the recent and persistent rainfall and the impact on local highways.

The Daily Mail has been campaigning to End the Pothole Plague that is costing UK drivers millions in repair bills

‘Local teams are working hard to fix potholes swiftly. However, many factors affect how quickly roads can be fixed, including the weather, safety risks, the type of road and traffic levels, to budget pressures. We urge members of the public to continue to report potholes and other road damage.’

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: ‘We are providing councils with a record £7.3 billion over the next four years to help them tackle potholes, and it’s now over to them to get on with maintaining and upgrading their roads.

‘Our new council rating system charts how well they are delivering for local people, including their long-term fixes rather than just patching up potholes.’

The Daily Mail has been campaigning to End the Pothole Plague that is costing UK drivers millions in repair bills.