GOVERNMENT highways departments are reporting maintenance budget shortfalls of £1 billion, with the number of road cracks and potholes increasing by 70% during the past 10 years.

The findings come from the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey which also claims that the backlog of work will not be cleared for another decade.

Jim Crick, chairman at the Asphalt Industry Alliance which produces the survey, said: ‘This may not seem to be a vote winner but we all use and need roads. Local authority highways departments in England are having to cope with budgets less than half the size they need.’

The RAC Foundation claims the survey shows highways engineers are failing to provide basic safety requirements because of budget shortfalls.

Sheila Rainger, campaign manager at the RAC Foundation, said: ‘This year’s ALARM survey shows the depressing results of a decade of disrepair. Road maintenance is the Cinderella of local authority services. Good roads may not be seen as a vote-winner but investment in properly planned maintenance saves lives.’