The Northern Ireland area with most potholes shown in new figures

The areas of Northern Ireland with the most potholes have been revealed in new figures.

A new survey from CompareNI shows that 85% of people in Northern Ireland think the pothole situation is getting worse. Of the 800 surveyed this month, 70% of people believe local government can tackle the issue.

Those surveyed were asked if they thought the problem was worse in rural areas – with 69% thinking it was. As National Pothole Day approaches on January 15, the problem remains as acute as ever with almost 107,000 potholes recorded in Northern Ireland.

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

The Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area saw a decline of 8% in the number of potholes from the previous year with 11,923, although still the third highest area in Northern Ireland for potholes.

Lisburn and Castlereagh had the least amount of potholes of any area for the year with 5,232 but that was still a 5% increase for that area from the previous year’s total of 4,998.

Northern Ireland potholes in each council area

Of the 134,108 total road defects, 67,513 took five working days to be dealt with, 57,127 took three to four weeks, and 1,285 took six 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.

Ian Wilson, Managing Director of 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.”

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