By Kevin Dixon
Motorists have been told what they already knew - the condition of the UK's roads is worsening.
Car insurance claims for pothole damage have increased in line with the deterioration of the road network, with a new study by the RAC blaming spending cutbacks and the harsh early winter weather of last year.
The RAC discovered that many councils have been unable to afford permanent repairs to carriageways and instead opted for short-term repairs.
The motoring group said half of the 20 UK councils questioned said they had not yet completed repairs resulting from the bad weather of winter 2009/10.
Eleven of the councils reported that their roads were in a poor or mixed condition, with three quarters saying there was lifting and cracking of road surfaces over a large area.
The poll also found that eight of the 20 councils had reported reductions in road maintenance budgets.
One urban council had a £5.8 million reduction in its road maintenance budget and also a £160 million backlog in road repairs.
An additional survey of almost 350 RAC patrol teams found that there had been a 25% increase in call-outs resulting from potholes and poor road conditions over the past 12 months.
Wheel and tyre damage was the most common problem caused by potholes. A total of 89% of the patrols said rural roads were in a poor condition, while 82% rated suburban road conditions as poor
