Scots city has highest rate of potholes in the UK - with two other areas in top 10
Aberdeen had the highest rate of reported potholes of any local authority between 2021 and 2025.
A Scots city has the highest rate of potholes in the UK - with two others in the top 10.
Freedom of Information Requests by tyre firm Blackcircles showed that Aberdeen had the highest rate of reported potholes of any local authority between 2021 and 2025.
Aberdeen had 10,396 reported potholes per 100km of road between 2021 and 2025. Over the five-year period it had 112,171 potholes. But the number fell from over 29,000 in 2024 to just over 26,000 in 2025.
The city is also worse impacted due to having an average winter temperature of 4.8 degrees - well below the UK average pf 6.5 degrees.
Edinburgh had 6,448 pothole reports per 100km - this was 103,874 reports in total.
Glasgow actually had the highest number of pothole reports out of any local authority in the top 10 with 117,652 - although this was 6,071 per 100km of roads.
The other local authorities in the top 10 were Cardiff, Nottingham, Barking and Dagenham (in east London), Wolverhampton, Blackpool, Liverpool and Islington (north London).
Ray Kavanagh, Blackcircles.com CEO, said: “The scale of pothole reports in parts of the UK highlights how persistent the problem remains, and our findings show that drivers are feeling the impact, both financially and in terms of road safety.
“Even relatively small potholes can cause issues if struck at speed. The most common problems we see are tyre sidewall bulges, punctures, cracked alloy wheels, and suspension misalignment. In some cases, the damage isn’t immediately visible but develops later as vibration, uneven tyre wear, or steering pull.
“If a driver hits a pothole, the safest approach is to maintain control of the vehicle, avoid sudden swerving, and check the tyres as soon as it’s safe to do so. Look for cuts, bulges, or loss of pressure, and pay attention to any changes in handling. Addressing problems early can prevent more serious (and possibly more expensive) repairs further down the line.
“Reporting potholes can help them get repaired faster, saving other motorists from potential damage and hefty repair bills. Most local councils have a dedicated page on their website for reporting road faults, but because these pages are not uniform across the country, some are easier to find than others.”
Earlier this month Scottish Labour unveiled plans for a new £350 pothole fund which will fix up to five million more potholes over five years.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “After nearly 20 years of SNP government, Scotland’s roads are in a sorry state and potholes are causing misery on a daily basis.
“This SNP hopeless government cannot even get the basics right anymore.
“Scottish Labour will fix the SNP’s mess and repair the roads – delivering a £350 million boost to the roads budget and repairing nearly 5 million more potholes.
“In May we have a choice – more of the same with John Swinney and the SNP or a better future for our communities with a Scottish Labour government led by me.”
The Scottish Government, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow city councils were approached for comment.
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