Potholes in the East Midlands 'are getting worse' according to motorists
The average motorist spends £91 a year on pothole repairs
People in the East Midlands are telling us potholes are getting worse, as a local garage confirms it is seeing more and more cars needing repair from our 'unfit' roads.
According to car tech experts OOONO, the average motorist spends £91 a year on fixing their car from damage caused by potholes.
How bad are our potholes?
Research by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) found only 51% of the local road network is reported to be in good condition.
It claimed this shows extra investment to tackle potholes has failed to deliver “noticeable improvements”.
Roads are only being resurfaced, on average, once every 97 years.
Paul Needham is a mechanic in Derbyshire and runs PC Autos. He told us: "I have had a couple of customers who reckon their exhaust has come off because of a pothole.
"One guy was stuck on the hard shoulder of the motorway because he hit a pothole. While he was waiting for a recovery vehicle, four or five different cars all hit the same pothole and ended up stuck on the hard shoulder also waiting for recovery.
"With some cars you may get away with just replacing the tyre. Other cars may need all four tyres replacing. If that car runs a premium tyre, you are looking at £1000 on replacing the tyres alone," he said.
The price of pothole repairs...
Serina Needham, who also works at PC Autos, said the cost of repairs in general is going up: "For a lot of people, especially young people, they cannot afford it.
"Some people we spoke to cannot afford the cost of living, never mind repairing their car. We have had a couple of people ask us to scrap their car as opposed to paying the price of fixing them," she said.
One motorist in Heanor told us: "It is getting worse. There is not many roads you go down where there is not a pothole.
What do motorists say?
"You have to be careful even crossing the road. If you put your foot in a pothole, you can soon twist your ankle or even break it," he said.
Another said: "There is this issue where I live where the council patch up the road and a couple of months later, it opens up again. It is just a cycle," she said.
Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Potholes, Highways and Transport, Councillor Charlotte Hill, said: “A long wet winter is undoubtably having an effect on the condition of our roads.
“We’ve increased the numbers of gangs we have on fixing potholes to 34, more than ever before, to do all we can to fix potholes as quickly as possible.
"However, we only have a set amount of money to spend on road maintenance, and need many more millions to bring the roads up to a standard that council tax payers expect.
“The reality is that successive governments have not given councils like Derbyshire enough money over many years. There is a huge backlog of maintenance work we need to do, and will do all we can to spend the money we do have as wisely as possible.”
'Keep reporting potholes'
Councillor Adam Tilbury, cabinet member for highways and transport at Leicestershire County Council said: "Storms, flooding and freezing weather have caused more damage, and that’s reflected in the rise in pothole reports.
"Our teams are working extremely hard to keep up, prioritising safety and aiming for permanent fixes wherever possible. I also want to thank residents for reporting potholes to us, it really helps our teams respond quickly and focus on the most urgent issues.
“Please keep reporting potholes to us, we will prioritise repairs, directing teams to the most urgent issues and keeping the network as safe as possible.”
We've contacted Nottinghamshire County Council for comment.