By and large, British roads tend to be well-built and designed. Their achilles heel, however, is the pothole. Despite the best efforts of road surfacing contractors, the UK’s roads seem to be in a perpetual state of disrepair, with potholes springing up left, right and centre. Why is this? There are a few reasons, each of which we’re going to examine in this article.
The Weather
British weather is notoriously unpredictable. In many countries around the world, the temperature either never goes below freezing during the winter, or it dips below freezing and rarely rises above zero. Although we don’t get winters anywhere near as harsh as some countries, the issue here in Britain is that our temperatures fluctuate so much..
It’s common for us to get tonnes of rain one day (while the temperature is above freezing), only for this standing water to freeze over that same night or the following day. Every time the water freezes and thaws, the road is damaged. Bit by bit, the surface is compromised until, inevitably, potholes begin to form.
Over-use
The UK is quite a small and densely populated nation, with a whole lot of cars, trucks and buses on its roads. Simply put, our roads see a lot of use. Often, heavy vehicles drive on roads that they really shouldn’t which only compounds the problem.
Poor maintenance
Another key factor in the UK’s pothole epidemic is, pure and simple, a lack of maintenance. Councils are either unwilling or unable to invest heavily into their local road networks, which explains the poor state that many of them are in.
By contrast, motorways – which are overseen by the Highways Agency – tend to be in much better condition.
Need a pothole repairing?
If you’re looking for an experienced pothole repair contractor to rid a roadway of lumps and bumps, speak to the team at A&MT Contractors. To get a quote, contact us today.
