WORKERS were seen patching up potholes in Monnow Street this week, after recent rain and cold conditions worsened the road surface.

The work followed complaints about the condition of the road, with the Beacon hearing reports of the poor state of the highway, which is managed by Monmouthshire County Council.

Figures seen by the Beacon last year suggest the average pothole repair in the county costs £126 per tonne or £33 to £34 per square metre at a depth of 100mm.

Potholes occur when water seeps down below a road surface and then freezes in the winter, which pushes up the asphalt and causes holes. This is made worse by increased traffic flow, with almost 30 per cent more cars now on the nation’s roads than in 2000.

Complaints over potholes in Monmouthshire come after figures from the RAC found there were 11 per cent more breakdowns attributed to potholes in the last quarter of 2017 than in the same period in 2016.

RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: “We want to see local authorities given the certainty of ring-fenced, long-term funding from central government sufficient to enable local authorities to bring all of the UK’s roads up to a standard that is fit-for purpose.”

The figures come after Local Government Association (LGA) analysis which found motorways and major trunk roads in England get 52 times more government funding per mile than local roads maintained by councils.

The report by the LGA reveals the Government plans to spend £1.1 million per mile to maintain its strategic road network between 2015 and 2020. In comparison, it will provide councils with just £21,000 per mile for the roads they maintain.

Cllr Martin Tett, the LGA’s Transport spokesman, said: “It is wrong that funding for local roads is miles behind that of the strategic road network.

“Very few journeys begin and end on a motorway or trunk road. Spending 52 times more on improving our national roads will only serve to speed vehicles up between increased delays and congestion on local roads.”

Monmouthshire residents can report potholes by using the My Monmouthshire app.