Three councils did not carry out road maintenance - excluding work to potholes - in the 2023/24 financial year, new figures show. Only 3% of England’s 183,054-mile council-run road network received any form of road maintenance during the period, according to new Government figures analysed by the car insurance and breakdown cover company, RAC.

The data shows Blackpool Unitary Authority, Tameside and the London Borough of Bexley did not complete any road maintenance which is defined by the Government as road strengthening, preserving or resurfacing and does not include the repairing of potholes. In total, 4,894 miles of all road types were strengthened, resurfaced or preserved in 2023/24.

This marks a 18% rise compared to the previous year, however this is a 35% decrease compared to 2017/18 when 7,510 miles of roads were maintained.

The new data also shows that 50% of England’s 152 councils did not carry out any preservation work to prevent potholes on major A roads during the period, while more than a third (36%) failed to complete any of this work of this kind on B, C and unclassified roads.

However, among the councils that did carry out preservation work, the data shows a 23% increase in the number of miles treated (3,309).

The findings come after the Government announced £1.6 billion for councils to fix potholes across England.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It remains the case that still only a slither of England’s total road network is getting any maintenance attention whatsoever. This reinforces our belief that most councils are in a cycle of merely filling potholes, rather than looking after their roads properly.

“The bigger picture is far more concerning because it still shows a significant decline in the proportion of our roads strengthened, resurfaced or preserved compared to six years ago.

“As the Government has just given councils a record amount of funding to look after their roads, we hope to see a significant improvement in the quality of road surfaces due to the extra maintenance they will be able to carry out in the next 12 months.

“We encourage local authorities to focus on permanent solutions rather than trying to patch pothole-ridden roads that are beyond saving.”

Figures by the RAC show drivers in England and Wales on average come across six potholes per mile, with pothole damage costing on average £500.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “For too long, this country has suffered from a pothole plague, which is why we’re investing £1.6bn to help local authorities resurface local roads and fix the equivalent of up to seven million extra potholes over the next financial year.

“We want to achieve this in the most cost-efficient way for the taxpayer by providing local authorities with multi-year funding settlements, enabling them to better maintain their road networks and avoid potholes being formed in the first place.

“The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing a quarter of the £500 million funding boost."