The RAC has expressed concern over the poor state of the nation's roads following the bad winter of 2009/10 and the cold snap at the end of last year.

It said that of 20 councils questioned, half said that they had still not carried out road repairs that dated back to the bad winter of 2009/10 with three-quarters reporting lifting and cracking of road surfaces over a large area.

A separate survey of almost 350 RAC patrol teams found a 25% increase in callouts resulting from potholes and poor road condition, with a large majority of the patrol teams criticising the state of both rural and urban roads. Wheel and tyre damage were the most common problems caused by the potholes.

The RAC says that the situation shows no sign of improving especially with local authorities, facing up to spending cuts and having to reduce their budgets for road repair. Its motoring strategist, Adrian Tink, said that the combination of bad winters and reduced spending on road repairs has led to the current situation and said: "The government needs to ensure roads have the right level of investment to ensure they are fit for purpose - a state we are clearly some way off."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8411032/Roads-ruined-by-ice-and-cash-cuts.html