A new report has estimated nearly £12 billion is needed to bring the UK's roads "up to scratch".

The latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey states 17% of all local roads are in poor structural condition, with less than five years of life remaining.

In addition, the survey reveals £102.3 million was spent on filling over 1,748,000 potholes last year, with the majority being spent in England (£88.3m).

Local authority highways departments estimate it would cost £11.8bn and take 14 years to repair the UK's roads network.

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Alan Mackenzie, Chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), said clearing the backlog of maintenance work "is impossible without a significant increase in funding".

"Prolonged under investment, coupled with wetter winters, increased traffic and an ageing network, means that the resilience of our local roads is at a low point," he said.

"The fact remains that our local road network receives only a fraction of the funding allocated to the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and this disparity needs to be tackled proactively if further decline is to be prevented.

"Reallocating a few pence from existing fuel duty might prove an equitable way of turning the tide, as could previous calls for Vehicle Excise Duty to be redirected to local roads from 2021. Either way, the LGA is right that time is running out and that local roads maintenance should now be a national priority."

(LM/CD)