The pothole problem
Why there are so many potholes in the UK, and why are they so hard to fix?
The UK climate is damp, with frequent rain and relatively mild winters that hover around freezing. Water seeps into cracks in the road surface, then freezes and expands, breaking apart the asphalt. This cycle repeats, creating potholes.
Councils often have limited budgets. Instead of resurfacing entire stretches, they’re forced into reactive, short-term repairs (patch jobs), which don’t last long and can fail quickly. Quick-fill pothole fixes can be washed out in weeks. Proper repairs need cutting out a section and relaying, but that costs more and takes longer.
Many roads weren’t designed for today’s traffic volumes or the weight of modern vehicles, especially HGVs. This puts stress on the surface and sub-base. When maintenance is deferred, small cracks grow into major defects. Years of underinvestment mean councils are stuck in a cycle of firefighting rather than prevention.
Among the solutions might feature preventive maintenance, resurfacing roads before major failure, rather than waiting for potholes to appear. Maybe using surface treatments such as sealing cracks early.
Modern polymers, recycled plastics, and ‘warm mix’ asphalts last longer and are more resistant to water damage. Some countries use concrete in high-stress areas, which, while expensive upfront, lasts decades.
Sensors, drones, and AI can monitor road conditions and predict weak spots before they become potholes. Self-healing asphalt, already tested in the Netherlands, could reduce maintenance needs dramatically.
Germany invests heavily in long-life road surfaces. The Autobahn, for instance, often uses high-quality asphalt or concrete with deeper foundations, designed to withstand decades of heavy lorry traffic.
Preventive maintenance is key. Cracks are sealed and worn surfaces replaced before potholes form. This costs more upfront but avoids the spiralling cost of endless patching. Road maintenance is treated as critical infrastructure, with stable funding from federal and state budgets, not short-term political gestures.
The Dutch experiment with things like self-healing asphalt, where tiny steel fibres and induction heating combine to reseal cracks, and recycled plastic road surfaces are being tested in pilot projects.
Roads are engineered with excellent drainage, crucial in a low-lying, wet country. Standing water is one of the main triggers for potholes, so the Dutchdesign against it. Smart sensors and proactive inspections mean that issues are caught very early. Road sections are often resurfaced before visible deterioration.
In the United Kingdom, by contrast, short-termism prevails. Funding tends to come in stop-start government pledges (‘£200m for pothole repairs this year’), which leads to firefighting rather than strategic planning.
Many UK roads are based on Victorian-era layouts with thin foundations, not built for today’s HGVs and traffic density. And councils often only have money for quick-fill fixes, which last a season at best. This creates the cycle of repeat failures.
The key lessons for the UK is that it needs stable, long-term funding, similar towhat Germany and the Netherlands have. It needs preventive maintenance instead of reactive patching. It needs investment in modern materials such as self-healing asphalt, polymers, and better drainage systems.
There should be accountability for contractors. Repairs should last, or firms must redo them at their own expense.
Smart monitoring using drones, AI, and embedded sensors could predict weak spots before they collapse.
So, other European countries spend more upfront but save money long-term, while the UK saves in the budget line today but pays far more in repeated repairs and public frustration.
Madsen Pirie