England's road improvement hotspots
England's road improvement hotspots
If you’re a driver in England, chances are you’ve had to deal with bad road conditions and potholes before. For instance, one of the leading breakdown recovery companies in the UK reported rescuing 7,904 drivers in the first quarter of 2024 - a 53% increase compared to the last quarter of 2023, due to poor road surfaces
Each local authority is responsible for the upkeep of its public roads, so naturally, the state of England’s road network varies widely across the country. But which areas are home to the roads most in need of repairs?
To get a full picture, our car insurance team has analysed government data to reveal the state of road conditions in each local authority area in England. The study uses scores from the Road Indicator Report released by the government, which assigns colours to each road according to its condition:
- Green = No further investigation or work is needed to bring it up to standard
- Amber = May need work sometime soon
- Red = Further investigation is required to ascertain if work is needed immediately
Top 10 locations with the worst road conditions in England
According to our research, the area with the worst road conditions in the country is currently Derbyshire. Road conditions in Derbyshire have worsened since our last report in 2023; previously, just 71% of the area’s roads required repairs, whereas now 85.5% of roads here need improvement.
That means just one in six roads in Derbyshire (14.5%) are in good enough condition to not require any work. Despite the extensive repairs needed, only 7.6km of road are set to receive strengthening, resurfacing, or surface dressing treatment – which equals just 0.1% of the total road network.
The area’s B and C roads are in the worst condition of all, with a huge 89% of them marked amber or red in the Road Indicator Report. 82% of its A roads and motorways are also in need of work, so they don’t fare much better either.
Bristol’s roads are the second worst in England, with 80% needing improvement. This again marks a deterioration since 2023, when 78.5% of Bristol's roads needed work. On top of that, just 2.9km of Bristol’s roads are set to receive treatment, which amounts to 0.3% of the total network.
Roads under the responsibility of Blackburn with Darwen’s local authority come in third. 72.5% of them need work, which marks a slight improvement since 2023 when 76% of them needed repairs. 82% of B and C roads in Blackburn with Darwen received amber or red ratings, while A roads and motorways did slightly better at 63%.
As well as Blackburn with Darwen, three other local authorities in the North West make the top 10 for road networks in need of improvement: Liverpool, with 65% of roads in need of repair, St. Helens (63%) and Blackpool (63%).
| Rank | Local Authority | Region | Percentage of all roads needing improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derbyshire | East Midlands | 85.5% |
| 2 | Bristol, City of | South West | 80% |
| 3 | Blackburn with Darwen | North West | 72.5% |
| 4 | Bradford | Yorkshire and the Humber | 72% |
| 5 | North Tyneside | North East | 69.5% |
| 6 | Derby | East Midlands | 66.5% |
| 7 | Liverpool | North West | 65% |
| 8 | Nottingham | East Midlands | 64% |
| = 9 | St. Helens | North West | 63% |
| = 9 | Blackpool | North West | 63% |
| 10 | Croydon | London | 51% |
The areas least in need of road repair work
Five of the road networks in the best condition are in the North East: Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Gateshead and Hartlepool.
Sunderland has the best road conditions, with 88.5% of the roads in good condition. Although it has the lowest proportion of roads needing improvement, there are still plans to improve 2.9km of road (0.2% of the total network).
Middlesbrough comes next, with 86.5% of its roads in good condition – meaning just 13.5% of them need repairs. That’s followed by Stockton-on-Tees, where 86% of roads are well maintained, Gateshead (also 86%) and Sheffield (85%).
Sandwell in the West Midlands, which ranks 19th with 77.5% of roads in good condition, is the location in England working the hardest to improve its roads. There are plans to improve 30.7km of roads here, which makes up 3.7% of the total road network.
| Rank | Local Authority | Region | Percentage of all roads in good condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunderland | North East | 88.5% |
| 2 | Middlesbrough | North East | 86.5% |
| = 3 | Stockton-on-Tees | North East | 86% |
| = 3 | Gateshead | North East | 86% |
| 4 | Sheffield | Yorkshire and the Humber | 85% |
| 5 | Bedford | East | 84.5% |
| 6 | Hartlepool | North East | 84% |
| = 7 | Warrington | North West | 83.5% |
| = 7 | Milton Keynes | South East | 83.5% |
| 8 | Isle of Wight | South East | 83% |
| 9 | Bolton | North West | 82% |
| 10 | Coventry | West Midlands | 81.5% |
How to avoid damage from potholes and poor-quality road surfaces
With less than half a percent (0.3%) of England’s roads set to receive repairs for their poor condition, drivers must take all the precautions they can to avoid potholes and poor road surfaces causing damage to their cars.
Here are some safe driving tips that could help you avoid having to pay out of pocket or claim for damages.
- Drive slowly and within the speed limit. Not only is it dangerous to drive faster than the legal limit, but you’ll also cause more damage to your car in the event you hit a pothole or drive over uneven surfaces.
- Maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. This will give you more time to spot and react to sudden hazards like potholes, allowing you to slow down or swerve safely if needed.
- Check your tyres are in good condition. High-quality tyres that are inflated to the correct level are the safest, and they’ll provide extra protection against pothole damage. Here are some tips for maintaining and taking care of your tyres.
- Watch out for puddles. What might look like a small puddle of rainwater could have a huge pothole lying beneath the surface. Drive through puddles slowly, or avoid them altogether where possible, if safe to do so.
- Report any potholes to your local authority. If you spot a pothole on the road, you can report it to your local authority via the GOV.UK website. This can help speed up the process of getting it fixed, reducing the chances of it causing damage in the future.
How to claim for damage caused by poor road conditions
If you are unlucky enough to have your car damaged by a pothole or unfavourable road conditions, you may be able to make a claim from the council or authority responsible for the road the pothole was on – or from your car insurance provider if your policy is comprehensive. If you decide to claim through the council, you will still need to notify your insurer of the loss, which could have an impact on your insurance premium next year.
If you want to claim from the council or road authority, here are some top tips:
- Collect supporting evidence. Note the name of the road and any landmarks or features near the pothole. Then, safely take photos and measurements of its width and depth. Detail the date and time you hit the pothole, as well as the exact damage it caused.
- Register a report with the relevant council or authority. You can file a report on the GOV.UK website. This is a responsible thing to do and it’ll also work in your favour if there’s a record of the report when your claim is reviewed.
- Get quotes to fix the damage. Get quotes from a few mechanics for the repairs if you’re handling it outside of your insurance. Just remember, most insurers have specific garages they use, so you might not be able to shop around if you go through them. Ask the mechanic to confirm in writing that the damage was caused by a pothole, and keep this along with any repair receipts. Even if you don’t claim through your insurance, you still need to tell your insurer, which could affect your premium next year
- Submit a claim. Find out which authority is responsible for the upkeep of the road the pothole is on and request a claim form from them. Complete the form in full and include your evidence, a detailed description of the incident, and your receipts for the repairs.
If you’re planning to claim on your car insurance for pothole damage, remember that your no-claims discount may be affected, and in turn your premium may increase the following year. You may also have to pay an excess contribution.
Think about whether it would be cost-effective to do this, and consider whether it’s a better idea to claim compensation from the council or road authority instead.
Methodology
The ranking of Local Authorities was determined by the percentage of roads needing improvement, by combining roads considered RED (further investigation is required to ascertain if work is needed immediately) and AMBER (may need work sometime soon) in the Road Condition Indicator Scores Reports from Gov.uk Road Condition Statistics (files RDC0321 and RDC0122).
Local authorities for which one or more data points are missing have been removed, as a lack of comprehensive numbers results in a skewed ranking.
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Julie Daniels - Motor insurance expert
Julie is passionate about delivering a great customer experience and rewarding people for saving on their insurance through our loyalty and rewards programme. She’s spoken to the media, including outlets like Sky News and Capital FM, about car and home insurance, as well as our rewards scheme.