The RAC said that 2021/22 figures, based on government data, show that just 1,123 miles of all types of road were resurfaced compared with 1,588 in 2017/2018. This equates to a 29 per cent reduction in repairs (465 miles).

The amount of surface dressing, a technique that extends the life of roads and helps prevent the need for full resurfacing, also fell: 3,551 miles in the last financial year compared with 5,345 five years ago – a 34 per cent drop.

This tallies with RAC research from earlier this year that found a 39 per cent increase in the number of drivers falling foul of potholes on UK roads.

Those findings suggest that in 2023, drivers are 1.6 times more likely to break down because of repeated wear caused by potholes than they were 17 years ago, when breakdown data started being collected.

Of the 153 roads authorities included in the latest data, 31 per cent did no resurfacing while half (51 per cent) failed to carry out any surface-dressing work...