Potholed rural roads will close

Rural roads across the country face closure within the next five years because of their poor condition, experts have warned as they say councils are failing to fill in “Swiss cheese” potholes.

One in six local roads in England and Wales is in a bad condition, the Asphalt Industry Alliance found. Local authorities need more than £12 billion to make repairs, the study said.

Edmund King, the AA president, said: “Our streets will continue to resemble Swiss cheese rather than smooth highways” if funding was not found.