CUMBRIA has seen a 94 per cent rise in the number of pothole reports between 2015 and 2017, according to figures obtained by a freedom of information request.

Across England, more than half a million potholes were reported by members of the public to local authorities for repair last year, in new research carried out by insurance company the RAC.

The company claimed the total is “shocking” and proves “the condition of our roads is worsening”.

It obtained the data in Freedom of Information requests to the 212 local authorities - including Cumbria County Council - which are responsible for roads in Britain.

Damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels are among the most common vehicle problems caused by potholes.

Cumbria County Council said 5,763 potholes were reported between April 2015 to March 2016 and 9,145 from April 2017 to March 2018.

The authority added pothole reports made up 20 per cent of all inquiries made by the public to the council.

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A spokesman said: “In Cumbria we are working hard to do all we can to maintain a safe road network for our users and the findings from this report comes as no surprise to us.

“Due to the increase of severe weather incidents, including extensive flooding and freezing temperatures, the roads in Cumbria have recently suffered an unprecedented level of weather related damage.

“We are also encouraging the public to be much more proactive in reporting potholes

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “Our own analysis of breakdown data shows the damage suffered by motorists is a constant source of frustration and expense, but the scale of the problem is obviously far greater than the numbers show.

“Perhaps motorists are more inclined to report pothole defects than they were a few years ago, but we believe the sheer size of the increase is further proof the condition of our roads is worsening.”

He added that the figures are “just the tip of the iceberg” as thousands of potholes go unreported every year.

One in five local roads in England and Wales is in a poor condition and the frequency of road resurfacing has declined, a report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance warned.

The AA has also called for learner drivers to have to prove they can spot potholes to pass the driving test.

Martin Tett, the Local Government Association’s (LGA) transport spokesman, said councils are fixing a pothole every 21 seconds but need more funding to “embark on the widespread improvement of our roads that is desperately needed”.

He added: “The LGA has been calling on the Government to annually reinvest a portion of existing fuel duty into local road maintenance which would generate much-needed funding for councils to spend on addressing the £9.3 billion roads repair backlog.”

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “Potholes are a huge problem and the Government is taking action, providing local authorities with more than £6.5bn for roads maintenance and pothole repair in the six years to 2021.”

Potholes are caused when moisture gets into the cracks in the road which expands when it freezes.

The holes get bigger as vehicles drive over them damaging the structure of the road below its surface layer.

Potholes are always a fairly round shape because they stem outwards from the area of the least resistance.

This means when damage continues and a pothole grows it acts like a hole where the ground falls into the area of the least resistance and shortest path from the weakest point - which creates a circle-like shape.

Adverse weather conditions and repeated freeze-thaw and wet-dry cycles make the pothole situation much worse.