£297m boost for South East roads pothole repairs

Councils across South East England are set to receive £297 million to repair their roads, the government has announced.

The transport secretary said the money would help councils across Surrey, Kent and Sussex fix an equivalent of seven million extra potholes next year.

Drivers in the region told the BBC they have spent hundreds of pounds repairing damage to their cars from potholes, with some unable to reclaim the costs.

"Potholes have plagued motorists for far too long," said transport secretary Heidi Alexander.

"Today's record investment will start to reverse a decade of decline on our country's roads."

The transport secretary added that fixing roads will also improve safety and journey times.

More than three quarters of pothole compensation claims were rejected by councils in South East England in 2023-2024, according to data obtained by the BBC.

But the local authorities - who are only responsible if they did not inspect a road often enough or repair a pothole within an appropriate amount of time - said claims were "thoroughly investigated".

There are around six potholes per mile on council-controlled roads in England and Wales, figures from the RAC show.

The government urged road users in the South East to report potholes in their area here.

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