Chancellor Rishi Sunak will pledge a massive £2.5billion to “eradicate the scourge” of potholes in Britain’s roads. In a keynote Budget announcement, Boris Johnson’s new Treasury chief is to tell MPs that the Government will invest enough cash in highway repairs to mend 50million craters and cavities over the next five years.
His promise follows official figures showing highway rescue patrols and vehicle repair firms currently attend breakdowns caused by fractured tarmac roughly once an hour across the UK. The fund will be among a series of financial measures to modernise the UK’s transport network to boost economic growth across the country.
Mr Sunak will also announce a wide-ranging package of support to help businesses through the coronavirus outbreak and ensure the NHS has all the resources necessary to care for victims.
The Chancellor wants his set-piece financial statement to demonstrate that the Government is ready to meet the challenge presented by the global epidemic while laying the long-term foundations for a decade of growth.
Ahead of his first Budget, Mr Sunak said: “We can’t level up Britain and spread opportunity if we are spending our journeys dodging potholes and forking out for the damage they cause.
“It’s vital we keep roads in good condition. That’s why we are going to eradicate the scourge of potholes in every part of the country.
Around half a billion pounds from the pothole fund will be spent this year on improving roads around the country most in need of repair.
The investment will particularly benefit the South West, the East of England and the North West.
Treasury officials say the move is part of a Government infrastructure revolution planned to ensure every region of the UK has transport links to boost economic growth.
They claim the fund will help speed up journeys, reduce damage to cars and decrease accident rates for drivers and cyclists.
Official figures show nine out of ten insurance claims are related to pothole damage, with repairs costing an average of £230.
Funding will also be available for local authorities to undertake longer-term road resurfacing works to prevent potholes from appearing in the first place.
The crackdown on potholes follows an extra £5billion for bus services and cycling announced by the Government earlier this year.
“This funding will fill millions of potholes every year, speeding up journeys, reducing vehicle damage and making our roads safer.”
Ministers have also given the go-ahead of the HS2 high-speed rail line linking London with the Midland and the North of England and pledged to reverse the historic cuts to the rail network made in the 1960s.
A recent report warned that motorists could be forced to contend with more than 650,000 potholes across the country by 2030 unless widespread repairs were carried out.
The study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research and Zurich UK predicted that Britain will see a 16 percent increase in fractured tarmac in the next 10 years if the Government fails to invest a promised £500million per year.
At the last general election, the Tory manifesto promised “the biggest ever pothole-filling programme” the UK has ever seen.
Data from freedom of information requests to local authorities suggests that the issue of potholes is most severe in the South East and Scotland.
More than 81,000 potholes were reported in the South East in 2019, while 74,000 were reported in Scotland.
The study predicts that in a decade there will be 100,000 potholes in the South East, with London the city most affected. The capital is expected to contain more than 23,000 potholes by 2030, with Newcastle predicted to become the second most afflicted city, with 22,000.
And a poll earlier this year showed that six out of drivers want the new Chancellor to find cash for fixing potholed roads.
