Norwich has the UK's worst roads according to new pothole index by eBay

Norwich has the worst roads in the UK according to a new Pothole Index - created by eBay’s car Parts & Accessories team - to identify the towns and cities in the UK with the worst roads. The ranking was calculated using sales data from the purchase of parts that are vulnerable to pothole damage. 

When looking at the demand for items including wheels, tyres and hubcaps and comparing it with the population size, the city of Norwich, in Norfolk, came out on top, with the most purchases per head of population of any location in the UK. 

It was closely followed by Lincoln, in Lincolnshire, and Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, with Preston, Lancashire, and Tamworth, Staffordshire, completing the top five.

In March, the Government announced an extra £200 million of funding for highways maintenance for the financial year 2023-2024, to help address the UK’s pothole problem. This extra funding is in addition to the existing highways maintenance budget.**

In spite of Norwich finishing top of the eBay Pothole Index, motorists in Norfolk –  the Local Authority responsible for its roads – will receive an additional £6,356,800 this year to fix potholes – the fifth biggest share of the extra £200m budget. Lincolnshire will receive an even bigger amount. Its £6,884,000 sum ranks it second in the list of the amount shared recipients from the additional spending, with only Devon receiving a greater share. 

Dr Tony Tong, eBay Head of Automotive, said: “Our exclusive eBay Pothole Index shows that drivers in Norwich and nearby Lincoln buy more new wheels, tyres and associated parts than anywhere else in the UK - suggesting their roads cause the most damage to these vulnerable items.

“It’s not all bad news for motorists, though, as the most affected six towns and cities in the eBay Pothole Index are all covered by Local Authorities who sit among the 15 biggest recipients when it comes to their share of the recently announced £200m increase in road maintenance spending, suggesting the extra finances are going to the places that need it most.”

Data used to calculate the figures relates to the number of eBay items purchased that are typically vulnerable to pothole damage, including wheels, tyres, wheel trims, centre caps and tyre pressure monitoring sensors, during March 2023. The Pothole Index ranks the number of items purchased against the local population size, using Office of National Statistics data.  

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*eBay data as of March 2023. Per capita ranking calculated by dividing the sales data from the purchase of parts that are vulnerable to pothole damage by the population of UK towns and cities. Population data sourced from 2021 Local Area Population from the Office of National Statistics.

**https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations/additional-budget-2023-highways-maintenance-and-pothole-repair-funding-2023-to-2024 N.B Highway authorities in London, and Isles of Scilly do not receive funding. London receives a separate funding settlement through TfL. Birmingham City Council, Sheffield City Council, and the Isle of Wight Council have Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) rather than grant funding.