THE condition of Britain's roads is reaching crisis point with nearly £5 billion needed to get them back into shape, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers. In the last year, the bill for required maintenance work on local authority-run highways, which does not include trunk roads or motorways, has grown by £800,000 or 20%.

David Bayliss, chairman of the ICE's Transport Board, said: 'By skimping on maintenance budgets, the eventual cost of repairs will be much higher in the long run. Tackling this problem will require a substantial injection of resources.' He added 45% of local authorities said transport was low or very low on their list of priorities compared to funding for other services.