Kevin Maw, consultant and secretary at the Road Emulsion Association (REA), sees reasons to be hopeful with the positive turnaround for surface treatments.

On average, the UK's roads are resurfaced only once every 80 years - the recommended frequency is 10 to 20 years. Local roads make up around 98% of the network, but unfortunately, neglect has become the norm. This is despite us having a good idea of how we can prevent poor quality roads, and we know surface dressing and encapsulation (preventative treatments) are the key ingredients.

What do we know?

The REA has collected data on the volumes of surface dressing since 1978. So, we can clearly evidence a sharp decline in preventative maintenance treatments such as surface dressing and link that to an increase in road defects.

Since 2012, the use of surface dressing has dropped by 46%. In 2023, we reported the lowest volume of manufacturing, sale, and use of bitumen emulsions for surface dressing since our records began. It's no coincidence that we have seen a significant rise in potholes when this essential part of highways maintenance is reduced, or worse, been completely removed from some local authority's toolkits altogether. In its place, authorities have increasingly relied on short-term patching. The result has been higher costs, shorter treatment lives, and the steady erosion of public confidence.

Surface dressing is a system that applies a bitumen emulsion spray to the existing road surface, followed by the application of stone, (aggregate) which is glued to the bitumen, once the chemical and evaporation process is completed. The new aggregate surface provides vital improved skid resistant texture, which is a key road safety feature, and the sprayed bitumen emulsion seals the road surface from water ingress, which is a well-documented cause of road damage.

Polymer-modified emulsions (PME) are by far the most used and important emulsions in this process and bring increased strength to surface dressing by enhancing elasticity and resistance to both heat and cold. PME provides better adhesion and longer life under traffic stress.

PME is applied at lower temperatures, cutting emissions and improving safety for workers. In an era when every sector is expected to contribute to net-zero targets, PME offers a practical, scalable way for road authorities to reduce their carbon footprint.

On the A5 in Shropshire, a PME surface dressing applied in 2010 has now delivered 15 years of pothole-free performance under heavy traffic.

The latest picture

Our recent data is giving us hope. REA figures show that around 44.4 million square metres of surface dressing – enough to treat the equivalent of around 4,340 miles of road – was applied over the April-to-September preventative maintenance season in 2025, compared to 38.5 million in 2024.

The past year's manufacturing, sale and use of bitumen emulsions for surface dressing was also up 25% on 2023. While it's encouraging that the volumes reported increased in 2025, they are still 32% below the amount applied in 2012.

What's more, in 2024 and 2025, a quarter of local roads that were surface dressed received an additional coating of encapsulation, where the surface dressing is oversprayed with an additional bitumen emulsion protection. This marks a 60% improvement on the area of surface dressed roads that were encapsulated in 2023.

Supporting better outcomes

Following the Government's November Budget, confirmation of a multi-year highways maintenance settlement through to 2030 has been welcomed by the REA. The package establishes 2025 as a record baseline year for local roads funding, with allocations from 2026 onwards maintained at or above that level, signalling a sustained commitment to tackling the condition of the local road network.

Crucially, the introduction of a four-year funding framework gives local authorities greater certainty to plan preventative maintenance approaches. The Government's new requirements for local authority transparency and the reporting of road quality information mean that we'll be able to track our progress towards transformed local roads and smoother journeys for all road users.