Whether you drive or not, you understand that feeling well – that sudden thud of your wheel catching the corner of a pothole. And then comes the dread, the thought of that repair bill looming in the distance, the horrors of the damage caused and the pictures you envisage in your head.
In Wolverhampton alone last year, more than 7,500 potholes were scheduled to be repaired, having risen by over 5000 in the past five years since 2020. While it remains uncertain how many potholes have been reported since that figure was last updated, Reform UK Councillor Celia Hibbert has said the council need to ‘do better’ – adding how she is appalled by the lack of care for our local roads and residents, “I call it carelessness because there’s absolutely no reason the roads should be in this state. I don’t care what the reasons are”.
But what, actually, causes potholes and keeps them coming back? The simple answer is water. When a pothole isn’t filled correctly, it allows for water to seep into the gaps, loosening the previously laid tarmac. That’s why you see more potholes appearing during the winter months compared to the summer – and why more people end up hitting them, as they often fill up with water, leaving them unnoticeable to the driver’s eye. Our roads’ potholes aren’t formed overnight; they are a result of our highways’ weakened surfaces.
One local man, Stuart Hardiman, fell victim to one of our county’s potholes last year, and while he reported it to the council, he still hasn’t heard anything back. “I think the government needs to do a lot more to solve this problem, as it’s only going to get worse”. He went on to talk about the increase in road tax that people across the UK have faced over the past year, and how it’s costing more than ever “We pay our car tax, and we don’t seem to be seeing anything in return for it”.
Now, people are starting to take matters into their own hands to warn others about the hazards hidden in our roads. Chase TV have been alerting people through signage placed before they hit the pothole, making them aware that it is there, in hopes they can help protect others’ precious vehicles.
The signage visible across the Cannock Chase District.
However, a report back from Wolverhampton City Labour Councillor Qasier Azeem said, “Our teams have been meeting the challenge head on, carrying out hundreds of repairs a week across the city 24/7 to keep the highways networks safe”, adding that through 2026-27 they will be heavily investing in full resurfacing alongside other surface treatments through their “£10 million capital highway programme”.
“There’s so much to be done, and I hope the council are listening. I hope the government are listening, because people cannot continue to live like this”
Reform UK Councillor Celia Hibbert