RAC warn of potholes crisis as winter looms

Local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland are struggling to find the cash required to carry out repairs to their roads.This is according to an RAC survey, which warns the majority of roads affected by last year's harsh winter have still not been repaired, with some councils facing individual shortfalls of up to £10 million.

According to RAC, 10 out of 11 rural councils and a majority of the nine urban councils surveyed had not carried out road repairs, making it more difficult for motorists to deal with the possible severe weather conditions this year.

"A recent survey showed that £9.5 billion is needed to bring the roads up to scratch and that is in England and Wales alone," RAC motoring strategist Adrian Tink commented.

"UK motorists pay an annual total of around £49 billion in motoring taxes, yet they face years of potholes and poorly-maintained roads damaging their vehicles and drastically reducing road safety."

Meanwhile, Britons recently selected roads as the highest priority area for public spending in a poll conducted by the Institution of Civil Engineers