Injuries, blown tyres and repair bills - frustration over 'spike' in potholes

A woman who ended up in hospital after tripping on a "dangerous" pothole says she is concerned for the safety of other road users.

Sharon Williams, 41, from Llanelli, was walking home in December when she did not see the pothole, causing her to fall face first and hit her head.

Motoring group the RAC said "near constant rain" had led to a "sudden spike" of potholes hidden in puddles.

One tyre-fitting business in south Wales said their garage was "busier and busier" due to the condition of the roads.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said "fixing roads is a priority", adding that an additional £120m had been given to councils over the past two years.

Welsh government statistics showed 11,250 potholes across Wales were fixed between April 2025 and January 2026.

Sharon said she was still recovering after falling on 31 December near her mother's home in Rhandirmwyn.

She told the BBC Radio Wales Phone In: "I was walking back to my mother's, and I didn't see the pothole and I ended up falling over, and I hit my head on the road.

"I know that road like the back of my hand and when it's dark you have to walk in the middle of the road to be safe.

"I was lucky that I wasn't wearing my glasses, and some neighbours actually took me into Glangwili (hospital) the following day.

"They did a CT scan, I had an ECG and luckily everything was fine."

'They are all across the roads'

Sharon said she worried about other road users, particularly children and older people, as well as cyclists.

"They [potholes] are dangerous and I have come across so many literally holes in the road," she said.

"I've always been aware of potholes, but I don't know how the government are saying that they've spent so much money, because I don't see any difference."

She criticised the council for their pothole repairs, calling them "patchwork".

"There are potholes all across the roads - you can't escape.

"Everyone is in danger. It's pedestrians and cyclists. God help it if a child gets hurt."

Carmarthenshire council has been asked to comment.

It said resurfacing of almost 400 miles of the country's road network had prevented 185,935 potholes.

The highest number of potholes fixed on local roads was in Ceredigion, where 1,668 were fixed between April 2025 and January 2026, closely followed by Carmarthenshire which fixed 1,592.

'I am scared to drive with my four-year-old in the car'

Julian Morgan, 40, from Llandough, Vale of Glamorgan, said the situation was getting "progressively worse" with roads "literally crumbling".

"The deepness of these, of this road damage, is now far more noticeable than it used to be years ago," he said.

"The biggest concern that I have is when potholes are in fact unavoidable."

Mr Morgan said he had written to his local council to express his frustration.

"I'm usually a very confident driver and but having [my son] in the car is a real worry," he said.

"We're not just talking about potholes... We're talking about historical erosion and quite literally road surfaces crumbling.

"I could walk to the same area and you would see they just revisit the same holes over and over and over."

Vale of Glamorgan council said it was "investing more money than ever before in repairing these defects to ensure roads across the Vale remain safe".

A spokesperson added: "Highways inspectors carry out regular inspections across the network, but we also encourage residents to report any potholes they encounter."

Sion Dafydd, a graphic designer from Cardiff, said he had a big bill in January after hitting one pothole whilst trying to avoid another in his car.

"I was driving to a family meal and I managed to avoid a large pothole on the left hand side but managed to hit another pothole on the opposite side which caused pretty severe damage," he said.

"An hour later my brother in law was driving on the same road and exactly the same thing happened and he managed to blow his tyre."

Sion paid £200 to get the car fixed and went without transport for over a week.

"Cost of living is getting tough for people and the costs for the council are increasing but at the same time we are paying more council tax," he said.

"Making sure the roads are usable and safe is a must really.

"I'm noticing, if I'm honest, roads are getting worse. Even on motorways you see pretty big potholes which can be very dangerous. Fingers crossed things will improve."

Cardiff council said a difficult winter and essential work being carried out by third parties had caused weaknesses in the road which could have led to more potholes.

A spokesperson said they had received an additional £10m to resurface roads over the next two years.

Hannah Jones, owner of tyre fitting business DJ tyres in Caerphilly, said her garage was getting "busier and busier" with more cars coming in due to potholes and roads affected by the weather.

"The amount of nails on the road and the amount of potholes on the road mean when people are driving they are bound to hit them [potholes]," she said.

"When you are driving there are times you don't see them until the very last minute and these, with the cars bigger, it's harder to swerve out of the way."

Caerphilly council said serious potholes were addressed within 24 hours.

A spokesperson said: "Last year we spent over £8.35million maintaining our road network.

"In the past 2 years alone we resurfaced over 400,000 square meters of road surface and repaired in excess of 8,000 potholes."

There are a few things that may lead to potholes, according to the RAC.

What do the political parties say?

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates said: "While Local Authorities are responsible for maintaining local roads in their areas, we've provided extra funding to local councils to enable them to unlock an additional £120m over two years, to accelerate the process of fixing local roads and pavements.

"We have also invested an additional £25 million on the strategic road network."

A Reform UK Wales spokesperson said: "Welsh motorists have to contend with bonkers 20mph speed limits, poor road surfaces and a creaking road network."

Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Sam Rowlands MS, said: "The Welsh Conservatives have committed to introducing a Pothole Guarantee, ensuring potholes are repaired quickly and properly so roads are safer for motorists and local communities."

Plaid Cymru's Local Government and Transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, said: "The people of Wales have been paying the price for Wales' crumbling transport infrastructure for too long due to Labour's inability to provide councils with a sustainable funding settlement."

A Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: "Potholes are more than just an inconvenience, they are a real safety risk for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians across Wales and poor road conditions can hamper investment.

"That's why Jane Dodds secured an extra £4 million in the most recent Welsh budget deal to allow councils to unlock £120 million in capital funding to repair local roads."

The Green Party were asked to comment.

Additonal reporting by Matthew Bassett.