Kent has been found to lead the UK for the number of potholes reported on its roads, with more than 52,000 reported in 2018-2020.

GoCompareCar sent out Freedom of Information requests to councils and found Kent was the “pothole capital” topping the table for the sheer number of holes in its roads ahead of Staffordshire in second place with 40,725 potholes reported over the three year span, and Fife third with 36,056.

Portsmouth reported the least out of the UK’s cities with just 383 potholes in the past three years. London boroughs Royal Greenwich and Hammersmith and Fulham also reported low numbers at 199 and 141 respectively.

The report adds that Liverpool took an average of 191 days between 2018 and 2020 to repair potholes once they had been reported. However, the council has only taken 66 days to repair their potholes this year, making it the UK’s most improved council.

Stoke placed second with an average of 88 days and Southampton followed in third taking 71 days on average to fix their pockmarked roads. Out of the UK’s regions, the South East took the longest to report and repair potholes with an average of 31.3 days.

Highways of England were the fastest to mend potholes between report and repair, leaving an average of just one day. Two of the fastest fillers out of the UK’s cities are Sunderland and Birmingham – both also get round to resurfacing roads in a one-day average. 

The report says the UK’s councils have spent a combined total of £99 million on fixing potholes in 2020. Biggest spenders include Lancashire (£16.31m), Wolverhampton (£7.47m), and Cornwall (£9.56m). However, Kent spent the most pounds per pothole with £10.5m on resurfacing roads, £400,000 more than they had done the year before.

(Picture: riseatseven.com)