This National Pothole Day, tell your council to ‘Fill That Hole’!

The national cycling charity, Cycling UK, is calling on local communities across the UK to report a pothole to their local council as part of National Pothole Day (Wednesday, 15 January 2025). 

‘Fill That Hole’ has been around for as long as the iPhone, enabling people to quickly and easily report damage to their roads and send their reports to the right local authority. Since its creation in 2007, nearly 200,000 potholes have been reported via ‘Fill That Hole’ across the whole of the UK. In recent years, potholes have become more widespread due to inaction and underfunding by central government. While media attention is often focused on the problem they present to people driving, the risk of loss of life or serious injury is too often overlooked for people who cycle.  

Reporting a pothole can significantly increase the likelihood of the council fixing it - because the local authority can’t claim not to have known about it. It was announced in the UK government’s Autumn Budget in October 2024 that £1.6bn would be invested in fixing potholes across England over the coming year. However, according to recent reports, it is projected to cost between £12.1 and £16.3 billion over 11 years to clear the backlog of maintenance issues and bring local roads up to scratch – which gives a sense of the scale of investment needed right across the UK. But without public support to help identify the extent of the issue, councils won’t be able to properly fix the nation’s roads – or indeed make the case to central government for more funding. 

Prior to ‘Fill That Hole’, there was no easy way to report potholes and other sorts of damage to our roads without working out which highway authority was responsible in that location. To address this issue, Cycling UK developed the ‘Fill That Hole’ app to take the difficulty out of reporting potholes through a few simple taps of a phone, with funding and support from the law firm Fletchers Cycle SOS. 

Reports via the app or website go directly to the relevant highway authority, which should then check and repair where necessary. Crucially, if the authority fails to take action, these reports can help others in the future should they need to claim for damage or injury against the council if that road defect hasn’t been fixed. 

Whether you’re an Android or Apple user, it’s simple and straightforward to download the ‘Fill That Hole’ app. Just visit www.fillthathole.org.uk/ on your mobile browser and press the ‘three dots’ icon if you’re using an android device or the share button if you’re using an apple phone. Then select, ‘Add to home screen’ OR ‘install app’ and you’re good to go! Learn more by visiting: www.fillthathole.org.uk/about/web-app 

Sarah Mitchell, chief executive of Cycling UK, said:   

“We’ve been pressing for sustained and adequate funding to fix the nation’s potholes for decades and, although progress has been slow, we’ve seen the seriousness of the issue prioritised more recently. Not only are potholes an inconvenience that can damage a person’s car, but for people who cycle, they pose a serious risk to life.  

“Whether in rural or urban areas, potholes can cause crashes, potentially putting cyclists in the path of an oncoming car or sending them over their handlebars, with the risk of serious injury. On average, a staggering 40 cyclists are killed or seriously injured each year as a result of potholes. Commitment to fixing our nation's potholes is welcomed, but we must ensure that funding is properly sustained to repair our roads and save lives. Only then can we ensure that these efforts truly benefit people who cycle and drive on our roads nationwide.”