Road users are being urged to sign a parliamentary petition to try and persuade the government to use money raised from tax on petrol to solve the growing number of potholes plaguing Britain’s highways network.
The petition has been set up by the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) which wants an extra two pence per litre of existing fuel duty to help tackle a pothole bill that has spiralled to £12 billion and is expected to rise further.
RSTA chief executive Howard Robinson said: “A further £1 billion annual investment would certainly help local authorities tackle the damage done by under-investment by successive governments. We urge all drivers to sign the petition so that Parliament will have to debate the issue of our potholed, deteriorating roads.”
Central government cuts are forcing highway authorities to reduce their road maintenance budgets.
The RSTA says that investing just 2p per litre of the existing fuel duty would provide an extra £1 billion per year to help tackle the problem, which statistics from the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AAA) suggest will cost nearly £12 billion.
Despite councils fixing two million potholes last year, the bill to tackle the problem in just England and Wales has consistently risen from £9.8 billion in 2012 according to the AAA.
Earlier this year, analysis by the Local Government Association showed that the bill for repairing roads in England and Wales could reach £14 billion within two years.
100,000 signatures are required before the petition can be considered by Parliament. The RSTA petition can be found here.