The number of miles of road in England resurfaced or given life-extending treatment is at its lowest point in five years, according to an analysis of government data by the RAC.
The motoring organisation said figures show that 1,123 miles of all types of road were resurfaced in 2021-2022, compared to 1,588 in 2017-2018 – a 29% reduction.
For surface dressing – a technique that extends the life of roads – the figures were 3,551 miles in the last financial year compared to 5,345 five years ago – a 34% drop.
Three in 10 (31%) of the 153 highway authorities included in the latest data (2021-2022) did no resurfacing, while half (51%) carried out no surface dressing work.
The average length of road resurfaced for all authorities over the 12 months was 13 miles, or 42 miles for surface dressing. The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, said the figures ‘confirm our worst fears about the overall decline in the state of the country’s roads’.
He said: ‘While the Government has made more money available to authorities to fill potholes, it’s the general reduction in road improvement work that’s causing potholes to appear in the first place.
‘The fact that such a large proportion haven’t done any surface dressing or resurfacing at all over a 12-month period really does say it all.’
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