30 January 2026
A pothole gets ignored because it looks like a small problem. The economics of fixing it early are clear, and the economics of leaving it are usually worse than people think.
A standard hot-fill pothole repair — cut out, clean, prime, fill with AC10, compact — costs in the £80 to £200 range depending on size and access. That's less than most car-tyre call-outs and less than a single windscreen replacement.
Left alone, two things happen. The edges spall and the hole grows laterally. Water gets in and freezes overnight, breaking the base material. What was a 200mm hole becomes a 600mm patch into the sub-base, and what was £100 becomes £400, then £1,200, then a full bay rebuild at £4,000+.
On commercial sites — car parks, private roads, estates — the bigger cost is the liability tail. An unrepaired pothole that damages a car or trips a customer becomes a claim, and the photographic evidence usually shows the defect existed for some time. The standard defence is "reasonable system of inspection and repair." If your repair record is patchy, that defence collapses.
Cheapest option is always: photograph it, fill it, log the repair date. That's it.
