People now taking out loans for pot hole repairs

One of the most surprising things about this winter is the number of people who are applying for credit so that they can fix their cars due to damage from pot holes. As local Council’s struggle to fund road repairs, the public are forced to carry the can.

Council’s are under pressure like never before, budgets are falling across the board. One of the worst affected parts of their budgeting is that for road repairs. This reduction becomes more evident during the winter months as the moisture gets into cracks in the roads. It expands as it turns to ice in cold weather and forces the tarmac apart.

As the roads start to break up, the damage quickly accelerates as more cars pass over the damaged area. If the roads are not repaired quickly, damage to vehicles will get worse.

As the law stands, Council’s are only liable for damage that occurs to cars after a certain period of time after they were first reported to them. Council’s are notoriously difficult to deal with when attempting to make a claim, one of the better guides on how to claim is here. Some people's damage is so bad they have to go to their insurance company and swallow the excess.

For those who are not fortunate enough to qualify for a claim from their insurance companies or the Council, some now have to take out loans to make repairs or even change their cars (if the damage is too severe).

In the first 3 months of 2016, we received 560 applications for finance because of pot hole damage, in the same 3 months 2017 it was 602. Already in the first two months of 2018, we have had over 2039 applications for credit due to pot hole damage.

On one hand it show just how bad the road network is becoming. It seems very unfair to submit hard working tax payers to the lottery of pot holes. There are already enough hazards on the roads for them to be looking out for without asking them to constantly look at the road surface in order to avoid craters that will destroy their vehicles.

People pay road tax for a reason, that budget should now be ring fenced and only used on the road network. People are being short changed and starting to get angry.

If 2019 continues is anything like 2018, people might just lose patience with the whole system.