The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) issued a fresh warning today over "long-term underfunding" of the UK's road network, following four summer heatwaves that have worsened road surfaces.
The "network resilience is declining", exacerbated by "a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions, including this summer's heatwaves", said AIA chair David Giles.
The AIA's warning follows strong indications that UK bitumen and mixed asphalt demand continues to be in steady decline. It also coincides with new findings from motoring body the AA and the Pothole Partnership, which reported today a rise in pothole-related call-outs this summer.
The AIA's annual local authority road maintenance survey, published in March, found that less than half of roads in England and Wales — including London boroughs — are classified as "good", with 15 years or more of structural life remaining. The survey estimated it would cost £16.81bn to clear the backlog of carriageway repairs and restore the network to a cost-effective condition.
The UK now has only one bitumen-producing refinery — the Shell-Nynas joint venture at Eastham in northwest England — following Prax's exit from bitumen production at its Lindsey refinery in 2023. Domestic output has declined steadily since 2006, increasing reliance on imports.
