New data on the state of local roads across Wales reveals that local authorities are spending nearly £10 million annually on pothole repairs, while receiving well over 30,000 reports of road defects each year.

With over 75% of Welsh councils responding, the figures highlight a total of 106,573 potholes recorded, averaging over 35,000 reports annually between 2023/24 and 2025/26.

After submitting FOI requests to UK councils, Legal Expert found that 17 councils across Wales spent a combined total of over £29.2 million on pothole repairs, across the three-year period.

Fixing potholes and maintaining roads is the responsibility of each region’s local council - and the approach and financial fallout vary wildly by region.

The data highlighted two councils that recorded figures vastly higher than the rest of the country; Isle of Anglesey County Council received the highest volume of reports in Wales with 13,626 potholes.

Carmarthenshire Council, logged 9,185 potholes across the three years; with Ceredigion Council clocking 2,599.

To combat the crumbling road infrastructure, responding Welsh councils spent a combined £29,233,724 on pothole repairs over the three-year period, which means a combined cost of almost £10 million per year.

However, the areas with the most potholes don't necessarily have the highest repair budgets.

Pembrokeshire County Council reported the lowest repair spend among those providing data, at £610,000 over the three years.

Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion councils provided "no data" for specific pothole repair spending. These councils noted that potholes are repaired as part of broader surfacing work, or that spending is not recorded separately from general maintenance budgets.

Beyond repair budgets, councils were forced to pay out a combined total of £405,636 to compensate for vehicle damage and personal injuries caused by road defects over the three years.

Vale of Glamorgan Council paid out the highest total compensation, spending £80,156, while Pembrokeshire County Council issued the third-highest total at £57,504.

This summer’s heatwaves and record temperatures are likely to cause already poor road surfaces to break down further, creating even more potholes.

The automotive company revealed that the majority of drivers (83%) say they encounter potholes on most trips they make by car, and more than half (54%) come across potholes on every trip.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Potholes are often associated with cold or wet winters, but prolonged periods of hot, sunny weather also takes its toll on the roads.

“Intense UV exposure and heat gradually oxidise the bitumen that binds asphalt together, making surfaces more brittle and prone to cracking. Once cracks develop, traffic and later rainfall can quickly turn them into serious defects.

“After the exceptional heat of this summer it’s even more important that we maintain our roads properly.

“We need to be surface dressing roads still in reasonable condition to keep them that way. This involves spreading chippings on to fresh bitumen binder and sealing them against the ingress of water, which is the enemy as it leads to cracking and potholes.”