Roads 'worse than 10 years ago'

Northern Ireland had the best roads according to the poll

Two out of three AA members think Britain's roads are in a worse state than they were ten years ago.

Of the nearly 18,000 members canvassed by the motoring organisation, 40% said road surfaces were much worse.

Overall, just 2% of those polled thought road conditions had improved considerably and 11% said they had improved slightly.

Roads in Yorkshire and the Humber region got the worst ratings from the survey and Northern Ireland the best.

Among male drivers, 42% thought the road condition was "much worse"; among females the proportion was 34%, according to the poll from Populus.

'Stark reminder'

AA president Edmund King said motorists received poor value for money for tax they paid. "These findings come as a stark reminder that, despite some extra government funding for road maintenance at the start of the decade, the cash is nowhere enough for drivers to see real improvement in road condition.

"Skimping on maintenance can cost lives and not a single one should be lost on the roads for want of a pothole being filled or surface renewed."

The Department for Transport said the government has more than trebled funding for road maintenance since 2002.

A spokesman said: "We recently announced a three-year settlement which will mean funding of £809m in 2010/11, up from £265m in 2000/01."

Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said Labour has spent 11 years "waging war" on the motorist.

"Commuters have had to contend with countless broken promises on road building and tackling gridlock," she said.

"Ruth Kelly repeatedly treats the public like fools, reheating old announcements as a smokescreen to cover up for years of government failure."