A warranty attached to every non-emergency pothole repair in the UK would help ensure they were patched up correctly and ensure accountability, according to the AA.
The call requiring highway contractors to provide a five-year warranty on potholes came as figures were released revealing that there were 613,638 pothole-related callouts in 2025, with local roads branded a “national embarrassment”.
The Pothole Partnership – a group comprising the AA, JCB, the National Motorcyclists Council and British Cycling – is now demanding “a transformative shift in road maintenance standards” with a warranty system to improve repair work.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “Potholes are more than an irritation – they cause damage, disruption and danger on a daily basis.
“Despite billions spent by successive governments, our patrols still attended more than 600,000 pothole related breakdowns last year. That is simply unacceptable for a modern road network.
“A five year warranty on every non-emergency pothole repair would be a game changer.
“It shifts the focus from short term patches to long lasting repairs and ensures accountability from those carrying out the work.”
Marking National Pothole Day on 15 January, RHA policy lead James Barwise said: “Poorly maintained roads cause misery for road users every day, creating congestion, delays, diversions and adding to already high costs for businesses. Local authorities should be equipped with technology and training for longer lasting and more cost-effective road maintenance.
“The volume of pothole related incidents reported highlights the short-term nature of repairs still happening up and down the country.
“Last year, we called on local authorities to allocate and ring-fence funding for longer-term fixes. We repeat this call on this National Pothole Day.”
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) said the endless cycle of ‘patch and repair’ had to end by giving local authority highway engineers the tools they needed to do the job so potholes didn’t develop in the first place.
David Giles, AIA chair, said: “Data from the AIA’s annual local authority road maintenance survey reports that 17.5 million potholes have been filled in the last decade in England and Wales.
“That’s the equivalent of one every 18 seconds, costing almost £1.1 billion, yet the condition of our local roads continues to be a cause of national embarrassment.”
A local government association spokesperson said councils took their responsibilities to maintain road seriously, but added: “The truth is that ever-increasing pressure on budgets has impacted their ability to do so as much as they’d like.
“Local authorities work hard to fix potholes swiftly to prevent people’s journeys from being impeded.
“However, the road asset is huge and the number of vehicles using it – and causing wear and tear – is increasing, and many factors affect repair rates, such as changing weather and the type of road.
“Councils face a £17 billion backlog of road repairs. Only longer-term funding certainty will help councils more effectively plan for future maintenance schemes.”
This week, the government unveiled an interactive traffic light rating system, enabling drivers to check the performance of local highway authorities on tackling potholes.
