A bicycle insurance company has called on the Government to fix the crumbling road network, citing data showing that 21% of cyclists have been involved in an accident because of a pothole.

Quotezone.co.uk said that damaged road surfaces represent a disproportionate risk to cyclists due to the lack of protection and the proximity of motor vehicles.

They warned that while currently one fifth of cyclists have been involved in a pothole-related accident, this figure will likely rise because of a long winter of bad weather.

Spending on road maintenance has almost halved since the financial crisis just over a decade ago, and the recent cost-of-living crisis has pushed potholes further down the priority list for governments and local councils, the company said.

Lee Evans, bicycle insurance comparison expert at Quotezone.co.uk, said: ‘Many of us who cycle in the UK have been shocked at the growing danger caused by roads strewn with potholes, and unfortunately the problem does not seem to be going away.

‘21% of cyclists experiencing pothole-related accidents is a worrying number because any accident for a cyclist, can be very serious.

‘With a winter of extreme weather predicted in the coming weeks and with spending on road maintenance on the decline, we could expect to see an increase in pothole-related cycling injuries.

‘We’d encourage local authorities and the Government to act now on fixing the UK’s pothole problem to help keep cyclists and all other road users safe.’

An analysis published in August by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association for Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) found that the cost of road maintenance had increased, with a number of councils seeing a 22% increase in the cost of repairing a pothole, relaying a road surface and other maintenance costs.