National Pothole Day – all you need to know about pot holes!
Sunday 15 January 2023 is National Pothole Day. The day is designed to encourage people to report pot holes and raise awareness of this dangerous road menace. See How to complain about potholes and claim compensation for full guide.
Media appearances discussing potholes and compensation claims
I regularly appear on television and radio discussing potholes, road safety, motoring complaints and compensation claims. Below, Mr Pothole and I are on BBC Breakfast discussing the growing pothole problem, the damage being caused to vehicles and how motorists can complain and seek compensation.
BBC Breakfast National Pothole Day 15/01/23
I also appeared on Sky News discussing complaints and compensation claims following a serious cycling accident caused by a pothole that had reportedly not been repaired despite concerns being raised. Pothole that caused serious cyclist crash not fixed.
How to complain about pot holes
As well as discussing motoring issues, I regularly comment in the media on consumer rights, complaints and customer service issues across many different sectors. Further media appearances can be found on media appearances.
Below is a TikTok outlining the basics of how to get redress for damage caused by potholes.
@thecomplainingcow 🚨 Hit a pothole? You might be able to claim compensation from the council. Most people pay for repairs themselves without realising they may have legal rights. Here’s how to build a strong pothole claim and the evidence councils DON’T want you collecting. Save & share this with every driver you know. Follow for more consumer rights tips, complaint hacks, and money-saving advice. #potholes #pothole #consumeradvice #driversuk #moneytips
See a pothole? Report it to help with future complaints
As well as their own inspection programmes, councils also accept notifications of problems from the public. Reports help to show that the council were aware of the issue if there is a problem later down the line and they still didn’t fix it. Use the National Street Gazetteer on FindMyStreet to find out who owns the road and to which local authority you should report the problem.
Alternatively, use the official Government “Report a pothole” service.
Mark Morrell, otherwise known as Mr Pothole, is the nation’s pothole campaigner. He encourages reporting of potholes and has found that the public are taking him up on it!
Last year I reported 31 defects on local roads on @NPDay2022 this year I’m reporting even more over time, starting with 12 today
Keep up the great work Mark— Dave Gaster (@VisTran) January 11, 2023
Fight your pothole claim!
Local authorities will usually fight pothole claims. Their strongest defence is that they already have a maintenance programme in place. However, don’t be put off in making a claim. You don’t need a solicitor, although many no-win-no-fee solicitors do take on pothole casesComment from Mr Pothole
Mr Pothole says “I am sick to death of hearing from government and authorities saying repairing potholes is a priority. Then do very little to tackle the issue of our failing roads network. Filling in potholes is a waste of taxpayers’ money. Until there is a properly funded roads resurfacing programme put in place things will get worse.”
The RAC Report on Motoring, published in November 2022, showed that 60% of UK drivers think that the state of local roads has got worse in the last year. That figure has grown from 58% in 2021 and 52% in 2020. Drivers believe that the condition of motorways and dual carriageways has also deteriorated but not at the same level, 38% compared to 32% in 2021.
This followed the August 2022 Local Government Association’s research which revealed that councils are seeing a 22% year-on-year increase in the cost of repairing a pothole, relaying a road surface and other maintenance costs.
According to Mr Pothole, Highways authorities need an extra £3 billion per year every year on top of current funding levels. “Over ten years ago a report stated badly maintained roads were costing the economy £5 billion a year. So at today’s prices probably double that to £10 billion. If Government invested an extra £3 billion a year every year on resurfacing roads it would save taxpayers money in long run.
See Interview with Mr Pothole on East London Radio. Mr Pothole talks to me about his pothole campaign, how to report and complain about potholes and gain redress if you are affected by them. He talks more about funding and reports too.
Further posts on potholes
Help with complaining to companies
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Want to get better at complaining? See 101 Habits of an Effective Complainer.
