A coalition of motoring and road-user groups known as the Pothole Partnership has intensified its campaign for a dramatic improvement in road maintenance standards across the United Kingdom.

At the heart of its call is a proposal that every non-emergency pothole repair should come with a minimum five-year warranty.

It’s a measure supporters say would help ensure fixes are durable rather than temporary fixes that quickly fail.

A calling

The Partnership, which brings together organisations including the AA, JCB, British Cycling and the National Motorcyclists Council, says current road maintenance practices are too often limited to short-lived patches that rapidly break down under traffic and weather.

The group’s leaders argue that mandating longer warranties for pothole repairs would make contractors and authorities more accountable for the lifespan of their repairs.

In turn, this should lead to higher-quality road surfaces and fewer repeat defects.

According to the AA’s recent data, breakdown call-outs linked to potholes remain at alarmingly high levels.

In 2025, the AA reportedly attended to 613,638 pothole-related incidents, which equates to more than 1,680 such call-outs every single day.

Many of these involve tyre damage, wheel misalignment, suspension problems and other costly vehicle repairs.

Dangerous and expensive

The Partnership also highlights the impact on vulnerable road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists, for whom poorly maintained surfaces can be especially dangerous.

Campaigners say a five-year warranty would be a “game-changer” by incentivising lasting repairs rather than “patch and run” work that soon degrades.

In a separate appeal linked to National Pothole Day (January 15th), the group urged both central and local government to take a more proactive approach to maintenance.

It calls for accelerating funding distribution and prioritising permanent resurfacing techniques over quick fixes, amongst other requests, to ensure better, safer roads that last the test of time.

Public and political 

The campaign arrives amid growing public frustration with the state of UK roads.

Motorists and road users across regions have frequently complained about potholes that reappear soon after being “fixed”.

Insurance claims data show councils dismiss a majority of pothole damage claims, further fuelling discontent.

Experts also note that current repair warranties in some councils can be as short as 12 months, while pilot trials offer up to 3-year guarantees on innovative materials.

Campaigners say these fall short of what’s needed to improve road quality and reduce long-term costs significantly.

In response to these concerns, the Partnership wants the government to include the five-year warranty condition in future guidance for highway authorities and in contracts with private maintenance firms.

Supporters argue this would encourage better training, stronger materials, and more transparency in performance measurement, leading to improved outcomes for road users.

False remedies

The Partnership has sent FOI requests to local councils to establish how many potholes are repaired more than once and whether repairs come with guarantees.

One council in the south of England said it carried out over 31,000 pothole repairs in a year, but that more than 2,200 of those locations needed repeat repairs in that period. 

It also confirmed pothole repairs currently carry a one-year workmanship guarantee from contractors, meaning the cost of any repeat repairs needed after 12 months falls on local ratepayers.

Craig Carey-Clinch, NMC executive director, said: “While the NMC very much welcomes progress made by the Government on this issue since the Pothole Partnership engaged constructively with the DfT, feedback to the NMC’s members from motorcycle riders reveals there remains a real need to move pothole repair standards to the next level and require that repairs are guaranteed for five years.

“We are still seeing too much ‘patch and dash’ repair work going on, which when these fail is not only extremely hazardous for motorcyclists and cyclists, but leave a legacy of additional gravel and debris from the failed repair on the highway – a further hazard for riders. 

“We urge ministers to adopt the partnership’s proposals, so we can finally see robust long-term repairs become the norm rather than the exception, so finally getting on top of the UK’s pothole problem.” 

Reaction and reality

So far, there has been no official government commitment to adopt the warranty proposal. However, the campaign has sparked discussion among policymakers and transport officials about how best to tackle persistent road defects and improve long-term maintenance planning.

The Partnership is also calling for clarity on the way local authorities measure and repair potholes.

A 2024 FOI request revealed that local authorities have 78 different ways of measuring the effectiveness of their pothole repairs. 

One council even admitted that it doesn’t bother measuring the longevity of its repairs, underlining the wide chasm between the best and the worst local authorities.

As the debate unfolds, the Pothole Partnership says its mission is clear: to make UK roads safer, more reliable and less costly — both economically and in terms of everyday travel disruption — for all users.