Repairing all roads in England would take 14 years, say new figures

It would now take 14 years to clear the backlog of road repairs in England (excluding London), councils have warned.

Figures published by the Local Government Association (LGA) showed that the backlog has increased by almost a third in the last decade, soaring from 10.9 years in 2006.

The LGA, which represents more than 370 councils across England and Wales has called on the Treasury to announce in the Autumn Statement that more money will be given to roads maintenance to help tackle potholes.

It claimed this could be made possible by investing just two pence per litre from existing fuel duty revenue.

A report published earlier this year by the Asphalt Industry Alliance found that it would cost £11.8 billion to get roads in England and Wales to a reasonable standard.

Martin Tett, LGA transport spokesman, said: "Our roads are deteriorating fast and it would take almost #12 billion, and it could be nearly 2030, before we could bring them up to scratch and clear the current roads repair backlog.

"Councils fixed a pothole every 15 seconds again last year despite significant budget reductions leaving them with less to spend on fixing our crumbling roads.

"Our roads crisis is only going to get worse unless we address it as a national priority as part of the Autumn Statement."

The Department for Transport has committed £6 billion for English councils to improve local roads during the current Parliament, in addition to a £50 million a year pothole fund.