The Road Emulsion Association (REA) has launched a 'future-proof local roads' campaign to coincide with the new Labour government and is calling on ministers to support councils in prioritising preventative maintenance.
The REA represents all the UK bitumen emulsion manufacturers and has called on Labour to 'adequately fund local authorities so they can increase the use of surface dressing'.
The Labour government has so far only pledged an extra £320m for tacking local road conditions, in a bid to fill an extra million potholes in each year of this parliament.
However, the full repair backlog in England and Wales is more than £16bn according to the latest ALARM survey.
Kevin Maw, business secretary and consultant, REA, said: 'We can turn this situation around. Good roads do still exist and that is because the local authority in that area has invested in preventative measures such as surface dressing, while still tackling other roads riddled with potholes.
'Preventative and reactive maintenance can co-exist within the same strategy, but the emphasis must be on prioritising planned preventative maintenance processes to reduce the need for high-cost reactive responses.
'However to do this effectively, local authorities need to be properly funded. Not just with pothole funds that are simply a sticking plaster, but with long-term maintenance budgets that allow councils to manage their assets properly.'
Surface dressing prevents water ingress, reducing cracks and potholes from forming. The REA argues it 'can extend the life of roads by 10 to 15 years per application and can be applied on numerous occasions over the life of the road'.
It can also be a more sustainable solution with up to 75% less bitumen and up to 80% less aggregate per square metre than thin asphalt surface courses, the REA said.
The use of surface dressing has declined by 46% over the last 11 years with 2023 being the lowest year since records began in 1978. Meanwhile, costly reactive pothole filling is on the increase - in 2023/2024, one pothole was filled every 16 seconds, costing a £143.5m.
'By making preventative maintenance, such as surface dressing, part of an annual roads maintenance strategy, local authorities can begin to tackle the backlog of potholes and simultaneously preserve the life of good roads,' the REA argued.
Picture credit: Stephen Barnes.
