Doncaster Council spends more than £700K on pothole repairs as “pothole plague” takes its toll

As councils now face a major financial crisis with a £4bn funding gap estimated in the next two years, some authorities are forking out huge amounts in road maintenance repairs.

After submitting FOI requests to UK councils, legalexpert.co.uk found that Doncaster Council was among the top authorities to spend massive amounts on fixing potholes.

In 2021, the Council spent £275,863.99 on pothole repairs, followed by £349,494.51 in 2022 and £167608.30 in 2023.

The total amounts to a whopping £729,966.80.

Any current unrepaired potholes pose a “serious danger” to all road users, according to RAC.

The automotive company revealed it attended a record number of pothole-hole-related repairs in 2023 - the highest recorded figures in seven years between October and December.

Services were required for 30,000 pothole incidents - equating to 80 breakdowns a day – for faults including broken suspension springs, damaged shock absorbers and distorted wheels.

What’s more, the problem is likely to get worse as we head into ‘pothole season’ between January and March.

RAC head of policy, Simon Williams said: “Local councils have been cash-strapped for years due to lower road maintenance budgets, causing roads across the country to fall into disrepair and leaving drivers fighting for compensation when their vehicles are inevitably damaged.”

LegalExpert.co.uk offers help, support and advice for anyone who has suffered injuries or damages to properties caused by potholes.

They operate a 24-hour helpline and live chat service which you can access on their website.

Director of Place at City of Doncaster Council, Dan Swaine, said: “The City of Doncaster Council takes a proactive approach to maintaining the safety of Doncaster’s highways, meaning the majority of our highways budget goes into long term treatments like resurfacing or surface dressing of roads.

"When it comes to repairs such as potholes, our annual maintenance schemes are assessed against city wide needs of the whole network within available budgets so we can prioritise the continued safety of the highway for people using it.”