AROUND one in every 25 miles of main road in Southampton needs repairing, figures suggest.

Council-run roads were surveyed in the 12 months to March 2021 and classed as "red" if they should be considered for maintenance.

Figures from the Department of Transport show 4% of A roads in Southampton were put in this worst category – although this was down from 5% in 2019-20.

And 3% of B and C roads were also in need of work.

The proportion of A roads in need of repair matches the average across England, where one in every 25 miles is in poor condition.

A Southampton City Council spokesperson said: "The condition of roads in Southampton is in general alignment with other highway authorities and the DfT information reflects the historical under-investment in roads across the country.

"The council has recognised this as a significant issue in Southampton and as a result, in the July 2021 budget we committed an additional £10m investment in resurfacing roads and pavements across the city, contributing to a record total spend £22m before April 2023. We also continue to invest in developing cycle lanes and paths in the city to ensure that people can switch to greener modes of transport and do so safely.

"Roads and pavements in the city are regularly inspected and their condition monitored and this helps us to plan which roads will be resurfaced. Our Highways Services Provider will routinely step-in with reactive repairs as necessary to ensure that roads do not become hazardous and allow them to continue to be fully serviceable prior to any larger scale resurfacing scheme."

The road examinations are largely done using scanner machines, which identify sections of road worn by use or affected by ruts, bumps or potholes.

However, the DfT said a different method was used in Southampton, which means the area should not be directly compared to others.

The DfT said the proportion of roads in the red category is “stable” following a slight increase during 2019-20, but there has been no change since 2015-16.

A recent AA survey indicated that nine out of 10 drivers want the Government to heavily invest in fixing local roads.

The organisation’s head of roads policy, Jack Cousens, said: “While the Government claims road conditions are ‘stable’, the harsh reality is that they are stuck in a rut.

“Road users don’t have to travel too far from home to see a plethora of potholes, fractured tarmac, worn away surfaces and faded road markings which make driving and cycling uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst.”