MP says potholes are costing Fleetwood motorists dear

The port MP claims the state of the roads is so bad that it has led to drivers suffering split tyres, damaged alloys and bust suspension springs.

She said: “Every week I’m contacted by more and more constituents who have paid out anything between £50 and £350 to get their cars repaired,” said Ms Smith.

“The state of the roads are a disgrace and yet Lancashire County Council seem oblivious.

We, the taxpayers fork out significant amounts for the maintenance of our roads and on top of that we’re expected to pay out huge amounts for damage to our vehicles.”

It is estimated that drivers in Britain spend £1.7 billion annually on repairs.

The average repair costs for pothole damage is £157.75. One in three drivers report pothole damage every year.

There are 31 million cars using UK roads with more than 10.5 million drivers needing repairs as a direct result of badly-maintained roads.

Figures from the RAC show that the number of cars damaged by potholes has almost doubled since the start of the year.

The roadside assistance company says it was called out to 5,540 vehicle faults linked to substandard road surfaces in the first three months of 2018.

That was up from 2,841 in the previous three-month period - the third highest quarterly total since it started collecting data 12 years ago.

It’s not just drivers who are affected. Ms Smith says cyclists are contacting her to say they’re becoming more fearful of using the roads.