Road surface dressing on the up in UK's pothole battle

Someone at Westminster appears to have finally got the memo regarding the UK’s pothole problem, because 2024 has seen a rise in the amount of preventative road maintenance after a 12-year low in 2023, helping to slow the degradation of the nation’s crumbling roads.

A new report by the Road Emulsion Association (REA) – the trade body representing producers of bitumen emulsion, which is used in road construction – shows that between April and September 2024, 38.5 million square metres worth of surface redressing material was applied across UK roads. This represents a nine per cent rise year-on-year.

Road surface dressing works by applying a waterproof layer to the tarmac, preventing water and frost from leaking inside – one of the key causes of potholes. The bitumen emulsion is applied to the road surface and is then covered with stone chippings, which are subsequently rolled over to embed them together.

In 2023, a total of just 35.3 million square metres of surface dressing was applied in the UK, continuing the slow decline in preventative maintenance since the COVID-19 pandemic. While 2024’s figures do constitute an uptick, they don’t compare to the 64.4 million square metres laid down in 2012, showing that there’s a lot of room for improvement.

Kevin Maw, the REA’s consultant and secretary, praised the latest figures as “encouraging”, stating that they “could be a sign of market recovery and a change in the focus amongst local highway authorities, who are investing more in preventative maintenance”.

The RAC’s Rod Dennis also applauded the Government for “heeding our call for councils to do more preventative maintenance”. He added: “We believe greater use of surface dressing and other preventative maintenance treatments can finally bring an end to the degradation of our much-relied-on local roads.”

Of course, a rise in road redressing won’t be enough to cure the UK of its plague of potholes. Earlier this year, the Asphalt Industry Alliance estimated the cost to repair the nation’s roads would be in the region of £16 billion. Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently announced in Labour’s Autumn Budget that the Government would supply an additional £500 million next year towards road repair and maintenance.

However, critics point out there is still no long-term plan in place to fix the UK’s road network.

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