Britain’s roads are so full of potholes it looks like “the surface of the moon”, says the RAC.
The motoring organisation reports a record rise in the number of pothole related breakdowns.
In the first three months of 2021 the RAC were called out more than 5,000 times to help drivers after cars hit potholes.
Wheels knocked out of whack, broken suspension springs, and damaged shock absorbers are the main problems.
Nicholas Lyes,, of the RAC, said:
“Many drivers are finding themselves having to use roads that in places better resemble the surface of the moon.”
“Many roads are in a desperate state – being simply patched up rather than being fixed properly.”
A spokesman for the Local Government Association defended the efforts of councils.
He said: “Despite the pandemic, councils have been working hard to repair our roads, fixing a pothole every 19 seconds as well as supporting an increase in other infrastructure through temporary road measures.”
The Asphalt Industry Alliance has said councils in England and Wales would need to spend £10 billion over a decade to bring roads up to scratch.
Councils were handed an extra £500 million in 2020 through the new £2.5 billion Potholes Fund announced in last year’s Budget.
