Encapsulation improves quality of surface dressing
One in four UK surface dressed local roads treated with ‘encapsulation protection’ in 2024–25
IN 2024 and 2025, a quarter of local roads that were surface dressed received an additional coating of encapsulation – a highways preventative maintenance method that improves climate resilience and helps prevent potholes forming. This marks another step in the right direction and a 60% improvement on the area of surface dressed roads that were encapsulated in 2023, says the Road Emulsion Association (REA).
New 2025 data from the REA, which represents UK bitumen emulsion manufacturers, reports a 25% rise in the sale and use of bitumen emulsions for surface dressing compared with 2023. That uplift follows a year in which production hit its lowest level since records began in 1978. The latest figures suggest local authorities are beginning to prioritize long‑term, preventative maintenance once again.
REA consultant and secretary Kevin Maw said: ‘Local highways make up about 97% of the overall UK network. While it is encouraging that volumes reported by REA increased in 2025, they are still 32% below the amount applied in 2012 before the start of an 11-year decline in the use of this key preventative maintenance process. It is no coincidence that as the level of surface dressing reduced, the number of potholes increased.
‘We urge all local highway authorities to continue this progress throughout 2026, and operate a dual maintenance strategy that focuses on preventative maintenance whilst managing the need to respond to reactive maintenance demands.’
RAC head of policy Simon Williams added: ‘There’s no question that sealing roads early against water ingress is key to delivering a step change in the quality of surfaces. Encapsulation is an important addition to the preventative road maintenance armoury as it locks in chippings, giving the appearance to drivers of a brand-new road at a fraction of the cost of resurfacing. The more roads that can be treated this way, the better.
‘If we're ever to reduce the number of potholes that plague Britain’s roads, it will be through councils carrying out far more preventative maintenance. This is why we were pleased to see the Government announce this week that it is now getting councils to report how they are spending their road maintenance budgets, with a strong focus on preventative treatments being classed as best practice.’
