Risk ... missing road surface is grave danger to all usersMOTORISTS are being hit by soaring repair bills in one of the worst years on record for POTHOLES.
Experts yesterday said complaints about crumbling roads are already DOUBLE what they were at this time last winter.
The freezing weather and council cuts are blamed for the surge in pothole perils. The eventual cost of mending damaged tyres, wheels and suspension is set to be well over last year's ?320million.
Duncan McClure Fisher, of insurers Warranty Direct, said: "Last year's damage could pale into insignificance.
"The roads are going to deteriorate incredibly quickly over the coming months. Given the severity and earlier-than-normal arrival of wintry conditions, everything is pointing towards a miserable period for motorists."
Nine in ten drivers claim cash-strapped councils are doing too little to keep up with repairs.
Warranty Direct's campaign website potholes.co.uk said the toll of the freeze is already obvious. Water or snow seeps into cracks in the road. It expands as it freezes and cracks open the surface. Repeated thawing and freezing causes the worst havoc.
HALF of all drivers have had an accident or near-miss after swerving to avoid a pothole, a survey revealed yesterday.
But almost 70 per cent never report holes.
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Pothole hell as crumbling roads worse than last winter | The Sun |News
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