Pothole situation in Northern Ireland is getting worse to 85% of people

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

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 believe 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.

According to government data, there were 106,923 potholes in Northern Ireland in the period April 2023 to March 2024.

Derry City and Strabane District Council has seen a steady decrease in potholes since 2022 (12,070) up to 2024 (9,843), seeing a 9.5% decrease in the number of potholes since 2023, the third highest decrease in potholes.

Meanwhile Causeway Coast and Glens had the second fewest amount of recorded potholes across Northern Ireland in 2024 with 6,279; only Castlereagh & Lisburn has fewer potholes in Northern Ireland.

Newry, Mourne and Down were the worst hit with 19,171 potholes. The Belfast area is second worst affected with 12,840 potholes, a 9% increase from the previous year’s total of 12,726.

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.

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.”

CompareNI.com helps hundreds of thousands of drivers every year find savings on car insurance plus niche items such as taxi and van insurance, and even car finance.