Vehicle breakdowns caused by potholes jump by nine per cent in a year

VEHICLE breakdowns caused by potholes rose nine per cent in a year.

The RAC got 27,205 call-outs due to poor road surfaces in the 12 months to the end of March.

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Common issues include damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels.

In the first quarter of 2024, pothole-related calls were actually down 22 per cent compared with the same period in 2023.

This was attributed to the milder weather, with potholes often caused by water freezing in cracks.

But RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Drivers are now twice as likely to suffer a breakdown due to sub-standard road surfaces as they were in 2006.

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“While many would rightly say the roads are terrible, we believe they would have been far worse had we not had such a mild winter.”

“We feel drivers have dodged the pothole bullet as the lack of widespread sub-zero temperatures has masked the true state of our roads.”

In October 2023, the Government pledged £8.3 billion over 11 years to repair potholes on English roads.