Britain’s potholes "getting worse"

According to a new report by the Institution of Civil Engineers the backlog of road repairs is bad – and getting worse.

The survey estimates it will cost £7.4billion to clear the backlog – the equivalent of £120 for every man, woman and child in the UK. The figure compares with last year’s backlog of 4.7bn.

The Institution surveyed local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, which are responsible for all roads except motorways.

Despite the spiralling costs, it found that on average local authorities were spending just 87 per cent of their available funds on repairs. Ironically a substantial proportion of the remainder was paid out in personal injury settlements to people hurt by potholes and unsafe road surfaces.

A department of Transport spokesman said; ” We are concerned about the current condition of the roads – this is due to long term underinvestment in the past. Which is why we’ve allocated £31bn over 10 years to improve local highways in England. ”

*In 2001 British road users paid around £30bn in road tax and fuel duties (Source: Fifth Gear).

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