Newry, Mourne and Down back on top of the pothole league

While the number of potholes in the area has fallen by 4.5%, from 20,080 in 2023, this year’s figure stands at 19,171 – over 6,000 ahead of second placed Belfast with 12,840.

Ards and North Down also saw a massive increase in the number of potholes found in this time period, with 7,003, an increase of 22% from the previous year’s total of 5,757.

The Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area saw a decline of 8% in the number of potholes from the previous year with 11,923, although still the third highest area in Northern Ireland for potholes.

Castlereagh and Lisburn had the least amount of potholes of any area for the year with 5,232 but that was still a 5% increase for that area from the previous year’s total of 4,998.

It comes as nearly three quarters of people surveyed don’t think the pothole issue in Northern Ireland is too big a problem for local government to fix, yet 85% say the situation is getting worse.

According to a new survey by car insurance experts at CompareNI, 70% believe local government could tackle the pothole issue. When asked did they think the pothole situation had improved over the last 12 months, 85% said no – with 65% saying their local area is worse for potholes than this time last year.

Those surveyed were asked if they thought the problem was worse in rural areas – with 69% thinking it was.

As National Pothole Day approaches on 15th January, the problem remains as acute as ever with almost 107,000 NI potholes recorded.

Dealing with the pothole problem is still a major talking point across Northern Ireland. Of the 134,108 total road defects, 67,513 took 5 working days to be dealt with, 57,127 took 3 to 4 weeks and 1,285 took 6 weeks.

When asked about the proposed solutions, 64% of those surveyed would like to see the government allocate more funds and staff to maintain the roads. 21% said an increase in compensation for those affected by the issue, 7% would like to see a media alertness campaign, 4% a ministerial statement and 3% would like more public meetings to discuss.

It’s not just that potholes are a costly nuisance, they are incredibly dangerous, 2023 was reported as a five year high, with 631,852 pothole-related incidents across England, Scotland and Wales.*

Ian Wilson, Managing Director of Northern Ireland’s largest car insurance comparison website, CompareNI.com, comments: “The CompareNI survey revealed that 91% were not aware of National Pothole Day on January 15th – an important opportunity to raise awareness on this key issue.

“The pothole situation on our local roads network seems like a never-ending problem that’s frustrating for the majority of drivers across Northern Ireland. Not only are these potholes a nuisance, they could increase the risk of accidents plus serious and costly damage to vehicles and all road users.

“With worsening weather in the coming months, it is hoped that government spending on road maintenance will increase and be a priority especially for these worst affected areas witnessing year on year increases in road defects.

“Pothole related damage is becoming more serious and more costly, meaning drivers are often losing their no claims bonus to claim for repairs – which can increase car insurance premiums for years to come.

“To help reduce costs, before applying to claim off the car insurance policy, drivers who experience damage from potholes can also contact the Department for Infrastructure and appeal for compensation if they have evidence the damage caused is related to a pothole.”