Drivers furious after UK’s pothole repair fund slashed from £4bn to £2bn – more than nearly any other wealthy country

Britain’s Pothole Repair Fund has been cut by almost every other wealthy country.

Spending halved from £4bn in 2006 to £2bn in 2019 – the last comparable figures.

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Only a third of drivers are now satisfied with their roads – the lowest percentage since 2012.

In terms of spending levels, we rank third from bottom out of 13 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development – ​​behind only Italy and Ireland.

The USA, Japan, New Zealand, Austria and Sweden have increased their funds for repairs jobs by about half in the same period.

France, Canada and Finland kept their spending at a similar level.

The Local Government Association, which conducted the study, estimates that a £14 billion cash injection is needed.

She accused the government of prioritizing highways over local roads, which receive 31 times less repair money.

Shaun Davies, Chair of the LGA, said: “Decades of cuts in central government funding for local road repair budgets have left local authorities with the largest annual backlog of pothole repairs.”

Edmund King of the AA said: “Whereas winter damage on main roads is repaired relatively quickly SpringResidential and country roads continue to be riddled with holes.

“This not only poses a threat to vehicles, but also a hazard to pedestrians and cyclists, who are more active at this time of year.”

A Government spokesman said: “We are spending more than £5bn from 2020 to 2025 with a further £200m announced in the March budget.”

“This year we have made £58.7 billion available to local authorities – an increase of £5.1 billion on last year – most of which is not earmarked and can therefore be used for road maintenance.”