The number of potholes on British roads has soared by 32 per cent since last year and the average road now boasts a pothole every 120 yards.

English councils filled 5,252 holes each on average last year but because of an £8.5bn funding shortfall it will take nearly 13 years at the present rate of maintenance to get them all patched up.

On average It costs £65 to fill one pothole and it would cost £47m per local authority to clear the problem. The annual Alarm report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which represents the road building industry, found eight out of 10 councils felt the state of disrepair was so severe that it posed a threat to drivers andmotorcyclists, and caused more emissions because of stop-start traffic conditions. The AA also commented that the state of roads has been a factor in the amount of insurance claims tripling.

The AIA chairman, Mike Linley, said: "Free-flowing traffic on unobstructed roads is the most environmentally friendly and the safest. Yet with a road opening or pothole every 120 yards, free-flowing traffic seems like an impossible dream."

The AA president, Edmund King, said:

"Now is the time to follow Barack Obama's example and pump in the cash to restore UK roads, create jobs during the recession and help prevent cash-strapped local authorities haemorrhaging more public money. We need to break out of this vicious cycle of decline on our roads," said Mr King.

The growing number of utility trenches is also contributing to roads deterioation as they often lead to potholes. The number of trenches in each English local authority area averaged 13,212, while the figure for Wales was 4,613.