Streets of shame: Britain's pothole problem
Updated on 12 March 2010
With reports suggesting the number of potholes in Britain has nearly doubled since 2008, the never-ending winter is threatening to turn the UK road network into a pothole purgatory.
There are now thought to be more than 1.6 million potholes across the country, turning many UK roads into sub-lunar landscapes.
The problem arises when water fills cracks in the road created by traffic. The water expands as it freezes, then melts to leave larger cracks. These are transformed into holes as traffic pounds the asphalt. The result: cavity chaos.
And the consequences are considerable. As well as the danger posed to cyclists and pedestrians, potholes are estimated to cause up to 20 per cent of mechanical failures on UK roads.
More
pothole stories from Channel 4 News
- Pothole Britain: snow and ice cost ‘millions’
The website www.potholes.co.uk says pothole damage to cars costs motorists an estimated £320m a year.
Meanwhile, local authorities – which have responsibility for the majority of roads in our towns and cities – face a huge repair bill at a time when public spending is being squeezed.
But in Brighton, a mysterious "guerilla gardener" has been bringing a little cheer to pothole Britain, by filling in unpleasant crevices with spring flowers.
Send us your pothole pics
Channel 4 News wants you to
send in your pothole pictures so we can build a map of Britain’s crater crisis.
If you know of a pothole and want to share it with the world, email a
photograph to news@channel4.com – and
don’t forget to provide the address and postcode.
