New figures suggest councils are stepping up efforts to protect Britain’s roads from potholes, with a 15% increase in surface dressing work this year compared to 2024.
Data from the Road Emulsion Association (REA), shared with the RAC, shows around 44.4 million square metres of local roads were treated between April and September 2025 — enough to cover roughly 4,340 miles.
The use of bitumen emulsions rose 25% on 2023 levels. However, the total remains 32% below 2012 volumes, highlighting that long-term investment still lags behind past peaks.
Highway Maintenance Budgets: The Long View
