Electric cars are contributing to the worsening state of Norfolk's roads, as council leaders revealed a huge increase in the number of potholes they are having to fill in.
The growing popularity of the vehicles - which can be significantly heavier than their petrol and diesel counterparts - is a factor in the increasing average weight of cars.
This has been identified in a national report into the causes of the deteriorating state of Britain's road network, which it found was close to "breaking point".
Other major factors cited by the Asphalt Industry Alliance were the wetter weather and a lack of investment from Westminster.
It comes as Norfolk County Council confirmed its bill to clear the 'maintenance backlog' to bring roads up to standard was now £69m, yet the money it gets from government has fallen.
A WEIGHTY ISSUE
The increasing weight of vehicles means road surfaces are coming under greater stress.
One study suggested the average electric car puts 2.24 times more stress on roads than a similar petrol vehicle - and 1.95 more than a diesel. It said larger electric vehicles (EVs) can cause up to 2.32 times more damage to roads.
The stress on roads causes greater movement of asphalt which can lead to small cracks and eventually potholes.
EVs are not the only factor in the increase in average weight of vehicles. Petrol and diesel cars have also got heavier in recent years, with the popularity of larger SUVs.
But the growing numbers of electric cars - which are roughly 25pc heavier than standard models - has accelerated the trend.
A report by the University of Edinburgh in 2022 calculated there could be up to 40pc extra road wear associated with electric vehicles.
But it said that was mainly caused by large vehicles – such as buses and HGVs - with road wear from smaller electric vehicles making a "negligible" contribution.
Conservative councillor Bill Borrett previously said that Norfolk's roads also suffer because of large numbers of farm machinery and tractors using them.
A County Hall spokesman said: "Even residential streets are expected to be regularly driven by delivery vehicles or bin lorries, which are much heavier than the average car, electric or internal combustion engines."
The Asphalt Industry Alliance said the blame for potholes could not be solely placed on EVs, but called for more research into the impact of electric vehicles on roads.
POTHOLE PROBLEMS PILING UP
In 2023/24, Norfolk County Council spent almost £1.8m to repair 8,682 potholes, up on the £1.7m spent fixing 6,574 the previous year.
READ MORE: Norfolk potholes trigger county council compensation payouts
The authority uses different methods to fix potholes, including surface dressing and spray injection patching - but critics say not all of those solve the problem in the longer term.
The council spent about £77.4m on highway maintenance by the end of last month, with £47.7m of that coming from the Department for Transport (DfT).
But the government is giving less this financial year - £44m towards the estimated total spend of a reduced £76m.
Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council's cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: "I know how important our roads and highways are in Norfolk, both for individuals and for our economy more generally.
"That’s why we’ve made highway maintenance a priority, with an additional £10m invested since 2021/22, the last £3.1m of which is being spent in the next year.
"That's in addition to the maintenance and repairs we carry out on our roads throughout the year, with a total of £51m budgeted for capital highway maintenance over the last year, up from £40m in 2022/23.
"For 2024/25, we’re also due to receive an additional £4.51m from the DfT’s Road Resurfacing Fund for local highway maintenance."
He said surface dressing work - to provide a new seal to stop potholes opening up and extend the life of roads - would start next month.
"So the weight difference between electric and internal combustion engine vehicles – which is approximately 20 to 25pc for a regular size car – isn't a concern."
READ MORE: Norfolk pothole in Reepham took 482 days to repair
BACKLOG CONCERNS
Labour county councillor Terry Jermy said: "The maintenance backlog has been a concern for many years and likely to increase when next assessed due to the increased cost of the repairs linked to inflation.
"The government needs to be providing increased funding, not less or the problem is only going to get worse."
Liberal Democrat Steffan Aquarone said: "Despite the backlog of over £60m worth of repairs, less has been spent this year on improving Norfolk's roads than last year.
"We have too many roads here in the county already. The only long-term solution to this is to focus on sustainable forms of public transport."
READ MORE: How to claim compensation for pothole damage to your car
A Department for Transport spokesman said it had given councils £8.3bn reallocated after scrapping the northern leg of the HS2 rail route for pothole repairs and road resurfacing.
He added: "We have made £150m available for local authorities right now meaning funding for most authorities has increased by almost a third compared to last year, with a further £150m to follow in the coming financial year."
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