THREE-QUARTERS of the UK's roads deteriorated over the past year as repairs went undone, a new survey suggests.

The Institution of Civil Engineers' (ICE) survey has revealed that the road maintenance backlog has increased by approximately 12% from an estimated £7.4 billion in 2002, to £8.3 billion in 2003.

It suggests local authorities are not spending their full budget allocation on maintaining the road network because of increasing demands for expenditure in other sectors.

John Sanders, chairman of the ICE municipal engineering board said: 'At present, it is up to each local authority to decide how much of their allocated highway maintenance budget they spend accordingly. In some instances, little more than half is currently used to address the deterioration.'

The Government's 10-year Transport Plan, published in 2000, included the commitment to halt the deterioration in local roads by 2004, and eliminate the maintenance backlog by 2010.

LOCAL authorities could be putting fleet drivers' lives at risk because road signs are covered with overgrown foliage, claims The AA Motoring Trust. It is now calling on councils across the UK to take action against the problem and encouraging motorists to report any obscured signs to their local council.