'Sort out the potholes!' Ravaged roads of the West Midlands in disrepair as RAC reveals huge cost to motorists

Stuart Phillips, managing partner of the Hundred House Hotel, near Bridgnorth, said the A442 Bridgnorth Road was in a dangerous state, and needed to be totally resurfaced.

It is one of countless examples of the region's ravaged roads, which we will be putting under the spotlight as we launch our dedicated Pothole Week.

Each day this week the Star will look at the impact potholes are having on drivers around different parts of the region.

It comes after the Prime Minister warned councils that their funding would be slashed if they do not meet their targets for repairing potholes.

Mr Phillips said the stretch of road between Sutton Maddock and Bridgnorth had already seen numerous repairs and potholes filled in, with numerous patches and strips.

But he said many large holes remained, forcing drivers to swerve around them.

Mr Phillips, 60, said a number of recent visitors to the popular wedding venue had been left with hefty bills to fix their car or have tyres replaced. One damaged car had been left in the bus stop outside the restaurant, he said.

"I come to work along the A442 every day and you see cars weaving in and out, sometimes quite violently," he said. "If they see the pothole at the last moment then you see them suddenly swerve and it can be a bit scary.

"Recently we had a wedding couple come for a meeting with us, they left and then about 20-minutes later they gave us a call and punctured their tyre between here and the Shell garage about a mile down the road. We had to help them out."

The RAC reckons there are more than a million potholes around Britain’s roads, and says they are one of the leading causes of call-outs.

The organisation said almost four in 10 breakdowns it attended during the final three months of 2024 were a result of punctured tyres caused by potholes, along with other factors such as nails and screws. 

Over the same period, the RAC was also called to 4,709 drivers suffering from damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels, a 17 per cent increase on the previous quarter. 

The RAC's Alice Simpson said: “The poor condition of Britain’s roads is by far and away drivers’ top concern, yet despite the mild weather our figures show there was no relief from the problem in the final quarter of 2024."

She said she expected the cold snap at the start of 2025 was likely to add to the problem.

"To prevent water-damaged roads in future, we urge local highways authorities to resurface those in the worst condition and surface dress other roads to stop them deteriorating further."

In January the Express & Star reported how motorist Nick Birch successfully sued Wolverhampton Council for damage caused to his car by a pothole in Clifford Street, Whitmore Reans.

Mr Birch issued the authority with a bill for £430, but the council refused to pay, leading to him taking legal action. 

Wolverhampton Council defended the case and was subsequently ordered to pay damages of £253.83 and costs of £109.

The council said, in response, that it maintained more than 450 miles of roads and pavements, and repaired more than 7,400 potholes over the past year.

Councillor Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for transport, said: “Addressing potholes is a priority for City of Wolverhampton Council as we understand how important a safe and well-maintained highways network is for all modes of transport.

“While we carry out thousands of repairs to potholes every year, and will continue to do so, prevention work is key in the long term.

“That is why we are investing in a further programme of resurfacing and other surface treatments informed by condition surveys and inspections across the network, identifying where improvements can make the most difference."

Over the year to date, a total of 6,459 potholes have been reported to Dudley Council, with 3,287 repairs carried out.

Councillor Damian Corfield, the authority's cabinet member for highways and environment, said it was a problem for all local authorities, and Dudley had a continuous programme of works.

“Last year we launched a game-changing proactive service with regards to repairs, which includes our nighttime pothole-blitz sessions to help us catch up on issues left over from the winter," he said.

“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from residents since this started, but with more than 700 miles of roads across the borough we know we need to continue to work to deliver even more improvements."

Councillor Corfield said residents could report potholes through the council's MyDudley website, which he said immediately allocated work.

"This logs issues and immediately allocates work for that location until the issue is resolved, ensuring no duplication of reporting and allowing us to deliver work for our residents more efficiently.”

Telford & Wrekin Council said its 'Find it Fix it' crews have repaired 2,995 potholes across the borough since February 2024.

It said its teams have repaired almost 60 per cent more potholes than ones reported by local residents.

The local authority revealed that it has received 1,749 reports of potholes that require attention since February last year.

Telford & Wrekin Council said that it plans to invest £41 million over the next four years to maintain roads, footpaths, bridges and other structures across the region.

As in Dudley, the authority encourages residents to report potholes on its MyTelford mobile phone app.

The council said spring is an "important" time of year for road maintenance after wet weather and freezing temperatures have "taken a toll" on the borough's roads in winter.

Cabinet member for highways Councillor Richard Overton added: "The end of the winter is when we really start to see cold weather damage - that’s why we are encouraging people to report them now.

"Our crews are constantly out assessing and planning repairs as we know potholes and road defects are a big issue for residents and every year, we spend millions carrying out thousands of repairs and improvements to our road network across the borough. As we move into the spring, we hope the public will help us by identifying and reporting potholes in the MyTelford app.

"Each reported pothole is risk assessed to determine its risk level. Depending on the outcome, some are repaired within two hours, or if it’s safe to do so, they are temporarily repaired and added to programme for repairs further down the line."

Sandwell Council plans to invest £55 million on its highways over the coming financial year.

Councillor Keith Allcock, cabinet member for highways, said Sandwell was proud to be ranked in the top three authorities in the country for roads maintenance. 

“We can’t stop them all but we’re winning the battle with potholes, " he said.

"In 2024 we filled 1,590 potholes, compared with 1,574 filled in 2023. This may not sound many – and it’s a result of us working hard to prevent potholes forming in the first place. 

“Potholes typically form as a result of water seeping through cracks in the road surface. When this water freezes, it expands and damages the road surface. This freeze-thaw cycle, combined with traffic, will eventually break up the road surface and create potholes.

“Our road maintenance programme means if we can stop water penetrating the road surface, we can minimise the number of and impact from potholes. Preventative maintenance, if carried out at the right time, reseals the road surface, prevents water seeping in through cracks, prevents deterioration and reduces the formation of potholes. This approach is at the heart of how we look after and maintain our roads."

Councillor Allcock said the authority had recently acquired a machine called Multihog, which enabled road surfaces to be prepared for repair much more quickly, cutting costs and reducing the need for road closures.

A spokesman for Shropshire Council said: "We inspect all reported potholes and risk assess them to prioritise their repair. They’ll either be classed as urgent or will be put into a planned programme of works to ensure that they're repaired as efficiently as possible.

"The condition of the network and the challenges it presents are not unique to Shropshire, or indeed across the country with almost all highway authorities struggling to keep on top of defects and the pace of deterioration. Over an extended period funding has not kept pace with deterioration, with pothole numbers significantly rising year on year, which has been exacerbated in Shropshire by recent poor winters and flooding which has severely stretched resources."

The spokesman said that despite the challenges, Shropshire Council repaired 35,862 potholes in 2024, with 24 per cent of these carried out within five days.

At the same time, the average cost to the council of repairing a pothole had fallen by 66 per cent in the past four years and was now below the national average.