The number of potholes on our roads rocketed by an average 127 per cent between 2000 and 2010.
Figures obtained by the Welsh Conservatives show Wales saw a jump in the number of potholes, or other “visual defects”, that was over three times higher than in England.
Local authorities there saw an average 40 per cent rise between 2000 and 2010, while local authorities in London alone saw an average increase of 21 per cent over the same period.
Shadow Minister for Transport, Darren Millar AM, said: “These figures are further proof that the overall condition of Welsh roads is totally unacceptable.
“Motorists in Wales should not have to put up with a highway network that is clearly getting much worse and at a much faster rate than over the border in England.
“Potholes are fast becoming a problem that our councils just can’t keep up with.
“The Labour-Plaid Assembly Government needs to reassess its priorities and get us out of a failing culture of costly short-term fixes.”
Shadow Minister for Local Government, Jonathan Morgan AM, said: “It’s time to stop being eternally reactive. That approach obviously isn’t working.
“We need to look to the future and invest in a preventative road repair scheme.
“That strategy has worked at Newport Council, where a proactive approach two years ago has paid off in the long-term.”
