Pothole season is upon us – what do you do to prevent them from forming and how do you make the area safe?

There are various factors which contribute to the creation of potholes and they can present a very real danger to your workers, schedules and general site safety.

Ground which has fallen victim to extreme or punishing weather can be costly to fix. So, it’s important to be vigilant with land that can be compromised by the wet, icy weather we’re currently experiencing in the UK. Red onto learn more about why potholes occur, the dangers and how they can easily be made safe in the short term. 

How do potholes happen?

Potholes are caused by the expansion and contraction of ground water which has penetrated below the surface.

When water freezes it expands, so you can understand why large rain fall and freezing temperatures wreak havoc on roads and car parks.

If water that has entered into the ground freezes, it takes up more space and causes the ground to expand, bend and crack. This in turn, weakens the ground which is ordinarily a solid and robust surface. As the ice melts, it fills the new voids in the pavement and gets trapped. And so, the cycle of freezing, expanding, and cracking continues.

Any surface which as been subject to these freezing patterns becomes increasingly brittle and vulnerable to heavy loads such as machinery, lorries, vans, and cars.

The stages of creating a pothole are as follows:

• The road/pavement surface cracks.
• Water penetrates the surface.
• Traffic pounds the pavement/road surface and potholes form.
• Freeze-thaw cycles accelerate development.
• Standing water aggravates the process.

The vehicles passing over the weak areas cause pieces of the roadway to displace or break down and result in nasty potholes which continue to grow.

Other factors that can contribute to the creation of potholes are:

• Poor site drainage.
• Ageing asphalt.
• Shrinkage cracking (due to the thermal movements of presence of clay).
• Low site maintenance.
• Utility works (where trenches have been excavated and backfilled. Settlement can result to cracking if the work was executed poorly).

Why do I need to tackle potholes?

Potholes can cause serious incidents, according to statistics from the UK Government (Transport Dept), on average 1,000 incidents are caused by a poor and defective road surface.* Unfortunately, 10% of those incident have fatal consequences.

Traffic incidents caused by inadequate road surfaces put your staff and the public at risk. If you manage a site or location which has potholes it’s important to tackle the problem.

How can I prevent and fix potholes?

Any site that does not maintain a road or pavement surface is a risk of encountering potholes at some point. The start of the process is a surface which is inappropriate for the level or type of use, or has become compromised or damaged over time.

You can prevent potholes on your land by:

• Inspecting surfaces regularly.
• Keep roads and surfaces well drained.
• Ensure surfaces are watertight.
• Minimise utility works or repair.
• Regularly resurface.
• Reduce/address traffic – volume or type.
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Increasing the asphalt base layer, granular subbase (or both) will reduce any deformation underground. Stay on top of your surface maintenance and act when things start to look tired or worn. Considering the time of year is also a prudent measure, excessive rainfall and frost are typical later winter/early spring (in the UK).

How to make a pothole safe

Whilst you await a longer-term solution, it’s important to act quicky and mark of the area local to the pothole.

SafeSite Facilities stock many ‘Chapter 8’ products which are ideally suited to marking up dangers on or around highways and pedestrian areas.

If the pothole is small, you can mark the area with a weighted traffic, high vis cone. If the pothole is in a high-frequency area, then which is poorly lit, you may also want to invest in a microlight which goes over the top of the cone.

Road plates and trench covers are also very useful for laying over small potholes of road damage and are extremely durable under extreme loads.

If the pothole is a danger to the public, workers and traffic and is large in size it may be best to invest in a ‘Watchman Barrier’. If you just need something to tide yourself over, you may want to hire the barrier, rather than buy. The supply of items on a sale or hire basis (nationwide) is something that we offer at SafeSite Facilities.

Our watchman barriers are great for enclosing hazards and are complaint with chapter 8 street works guidance.  They come in your preferred structure and lamps can also be added as required.

What do I do if the pothole is not on property I manage?

If the pothole is not on your land but a public highway or property, it’s important to be diligent and report it. Take a photo, note the location, and get a rough measurement of the size.

Let your local county, city or borough council know so they can fix the hole. In England and Wales, you can find the right authority using this postcode checker. See also below for flagging potholes across the UK:

• Motorways and A roads in England are managed by Highways England.
• In Wales, roads are managed by Traffic Wales.
• If you’re in Scotland, flag the site online here: My Gov Scotland.
• In Northern Ireland you can report potholes on the NI Direct website.
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What should you do if your vehicle is damaged due to a pothole?

The exacerbated presence of potholes has been blamed on budget cuts and council restraints. In a recent report by the RAC, drivers were found to be 1.5 times more likely to suffer a pot-hole related breakdown than they were in 2006.  

If you’ve suffered damage to your vehicle on public roads you should take a photo of the pothole, flag it with your local authority, repair your car and make your claim. You should detail all receipts and costs in your claim and submit the information to your council. If the damage is very expensive, speak to your insurance company or seek legal advice.

*Data extracted from UK Government website which tracks 10 years up to and including 2021.