It's official - Powys has the worst roads

Powys has the worst road surfaces in Wales – it’s official.

Information sourced from The Data Unit Wales for Local Authority Performance reveals that 19.6% of the county’s roads were deemed to be in “poor condition” over the last six years with Ceredigion next at 14.7%.

Six years of public data from the unit has been analysed with road conditions measured by vehicles that carry out annual surveys. They measure the extent of defects such as bumpiness and cracking of the road surface.  

For Wales in 2016-17, around 10% of all of its roads were deemed in poor condition. That works out at 3,110 km meaning Powys figures were double the national average.

Poorly maintained roads can be a nightmare for motorists and cyclists.  Even hitting a pothole at slow speed can cause extensive damage to vehicles, while cyclists face risk of serious injury.

According to the RAC, the number of drivers breaking down after hitting potholes has seen a “concerning” rise.  The firm blamed snow and icy conditions, and warned many roads were “hanging in the balance”.  

It was called to 2,830 pothole-related breakdowns between October and December last year, compared with 2,547 in the period a year before.

And the Asphalt Industry Alliance has said the cost of getting roads in England and Wales back into a reasonable condition had increased to £12bn. Its study said too much money was still being spent on fixing sudden cracks and patching holes rather than on long-term maintenance and investment.

Trunk Roads, which are managed by the Highways Agency have not been included in the analysis.