The bottom is dropping out of the pothole budget this year, say councils.
Repair costs are fast exceeding the money allocated to repair the crumbling road network and now the Local Government Association says 2017 will be the tipping point.
That will be when the costs escalate inside two years to £14 Billion but the money coming in is falling and roads will be left unrepaired.
The LGA wants Government to divert about 2p a litre collected in fuel duty to repair the roads being paid for hundreds of times over by motorists and businesses through duties and taxes.
A pothole is filled in about once every 15 seconds, says the LGA, and the Government prioritises money on the national roads it is responsible for but leaves councils pay out of their own budgets, although they make up 97% of roads.
Councils have to allocate road repairs while coping with spending on schools and social care, for example.
Reacting to the report, the RAC said the roads network is in a dire state.
RAC roads policy spokesman Nick Lyes said, “This analysis provides a stark reminder of the dire state of the UK’s local road network and ominously shows that things look set to get worse over the coming years unless urgent action is taken.
“The RAC’s Pothole Index revealed that the number of pothole-related breakdowns attended by our patrols doubled between 2006 and 2016, leaving motorists with a large repair bill. Typically, this included damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels.”
Motoring organisations have advice on claiming for pothole damage or you can look up details here.