‘More potholes than craters on the moon!’ - Labour hits out at poor road conditions despite £8billion boost

There are 100 times more potholes on UK roads than there are craters on the Moon, Labour minsters have claimed.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Shadow Transport Minister Bill Esterson warned that roads repair backlog has hit an “eye-watering” £16.3billion.

Hearing questions from MPs, Transport Secretary Mark Harper defended the Government and stated that it had spent over £8billion to improve the quality of local roads.

Recent research found that some UK roads have not been repaired for more than 100 years.

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Repair works for roads are the responsibility of local authorities, but due to a lack of funding and support, many crucial roads across England and Wales have remained untouched for decades.

Esterson said: “At the last transport questions, the Secretary of State suggested that drivers know what they’re getting with a Conservative Government.

“Well, drivers know one thing they’re getting from this Government: more potholes – 100 times as many as there are craters on the Moon.”

The MP for Sefton Central highlighted how RAC patrols attended 33 per cent more breakdowns related to poor road maintenance than in 2022, while AA callouts were at a five-year high.

The Department for Transport has previously pledged to spend £8.3billion from the HS2 project and fund it back into helping resurface roads and subsequent potholes over the next 10 years.

In response, Harper hit back at Labour, stating that they have yet to support a Department for Transport plan to set aside funds for road resurfacing.

He said: “The choice is clear, if you vote Conservative, you get £8.3billion spent on roads. If you vote Labour, you get none.”

Speaking earlier in the Commons, Liberal Democrat Sarah Dyke, warned that her constituency is “unfortunately” home to tens of thousands of potholes.

The MP for Somerton and Frome said persistent flooding makes problems worse, but so does the “lack of attention” given to improving the future resilience of roads.

Dyke asked Harper if he recognised the importance of “futureproofing” roads with specific funding for local authorities as opposed to pothole funding that acts only as a “temporary sticking plaster”.

Acknowledging Dykes comment, Harper agreed and added that local authorities have been given “significant increases” in funding to help reduce the number of potholes and road failures in their area.

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It is estimated that 107,000 miles of roads are fast reaching the end of their lives, with urgent care needed from road maintenance teams.