UK Heat Deepens Road Repair Crisis

Britain’s road network is facing fresh pressure after the hottest summer on record left already weakened surfaces more prone to cracking and potholes. The RAC has warned that prolonged heat and intense sunlight have accelerated damage to asphalt, adding to the effects of a wet winter that had already left much of the network in poor condition.

The problem is becoming harder to treat as a seasonal maintenance issue. Only around half of roads in England and Wales were judged to be in good condition earlier this year, while 83 per cent of motorists surveyed by the RAC said they encounter potholes on most journeys. Heat makes road surfaces more brittle, allowing cracks to widen once traffic and rainfall return.

Councils now face the task of repairing that damage while stretching limited maintenance budgets. England’s local highway funding has risen to £1.6bn for 2025-26, with £7.3bn allocated for road improvements through the end of the decade. Authorities are also under greater pressure to demonstrate that spending is going towards longer-term repairs rather than repeated patchwork fixes.

The wider infrastructure concern is that Britain’s roads are being tested by weather conditions they were not built to absorb repeatedly. Hotter summers, wetter winters and sharper temperature swings raise the cost of keeping existing networks reliable. That is likely to put greater emphasis on preventative maintenance, more durable materials and investment decisions that account for climate resilience rather than simply repairing damage after it appears.