The UK’s biggest business lobby group has called on the government to privatise motorways and bring in new tolls.

The announcement sees the private sector’s latest attempt to encourage action over Britain's infrastructure.

If the Confederation of British Industry gets its way, the repair and maintenance of over 1,000 English motorway miles would be completely privatised.

It is currently estimated that there is a £10bn gap in funding at the Highways Agency.

Jonathan Cridland, director general at CBI said "levering private sector investment is the only way (of funding) a long-term future for roads.

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"The UK road network is the last piece of infrastructure fully funded by the government," he said.

Under plans set out by CBI, the Highways Agency would be dissolved and control of England's motorways passed to a regulator which, according to Cridland, would "offer franchises to private providers to run parts of the road network."

He said it would involve "taking the whole of the strategic road network and allocating it on a strategic basis.

"Over time private operators would be able to finance essential upgrades (and) repairs and maintenance."

Cridland said the Highways Agency was "starved" of funding and it was a "question of when (privatisation) will happen, rather than if".

Cridland has also advocated an increase in road tolling to pay for upgrades. "We need better roads," he said. "We (the country) no longer have enough money to pay for them."

(IT)