Bad weather conditions over the coming months could see potholes appear at an “unprecedented rate”.

The DfT announced last week a £70m pothole fund for local authorities for their 2017/18 budgets.

So says the RAC as it reports the first Q4 increase in the number of pothole breakdowns since 2013.

Published to coincide with National Pothole Day, the analysis shows a 24% rise in the number of potential pothole-related call-outs attended by RAC patrols compared to the same period the previous year.

The figures come after the Department for Transport announced last week a £70m pothole fund for local authorities for their 2017/18 budgets in a move to fix the nation’s roads. In addition, a new pothole identifier is being trialled to help identify cracks in the road before they become potholes. The device would be attached to refuse collection vehicles and scan roads for damage. It will then feedback the results to the council for them take the necessary action.

RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: “This is a particularly worrying finding because of course much of the country has not experienced harsh winter conditions for three years and rainfall in the fourth quarter of 2016 was the lowest in that period for more than a decade. Rain can be the catalyst for the formation of potholes, particularly in the winter when frosts are also common but despite the low rainfall the number of pothole faults attended by RAC in Q4 2016 is still higher than in the same period in the two previous years.

“If the first three months of 2017 prove to be both wet and cold, potholes are likely to appear at an unprecedented rate which would inevitably stretch local authority repair resources to their limit. While urgent remedial repairs will be needed to reduce the risk of further vehicle damage or injury to road users, including vulnerable motorcyclists and cyclists, it is insufficient investment in preventative maintenance, such as resurfacing, which is ultimately to blame.”

The AA also said its patrols are getting called out on a regular basis to deal with damage caused by potholes and said that the situation is getting so bad that a fifth (20%) of drivers would volunteer to fill in a pothole themselves rather than waiting for their local authority to fix it.

Edmund King, AA president said: “The state of local roads has got so bad that we now have a sea of volunteers to tackle an ocean of potholes.

“If we are ever going to get a handle of the situation, the Government must give authorities the tools they need to fill potholes. Otherwise councils will simply pass the shovels on to ratepayers.

“As local councils fight to obtain the funds to get their potholes filled, taxpayers are so frustrated that they feel their only option is to do it themselves.”

lan Mackenzie, chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, added: “Potholes are a symptom of poorly maintained roads and can have serious consequences for road users. But spending money on fixing them, although essential, is a shameful waste. To stop potholes forming in the first place, cash-strapped local authorities need sufficient funds to look after our road network properly.

“Long term underfunding means that the local road network is deteriorating at a faster rate than it can be repaired. Recent announcements from the Department for Transport are a step in the right direction, but the fact remains that local roads continue to receive a fraction of the funding allocated to the strategic road network.”