Concrete concerns over dire state of UK roads

As many as 77 per cent reckoned potholes and damaged roads were a big problem in their area, the Ipsos Mori survey for the RAC Foundation showed.

Only three per cent of the 1,025 adults surveyed regarded a new high-speed rail (HSR) line as a priority for an incoming government.

Asked which transport schemes should be protected from possible cuts, only eight per cent voted for HSR, while as many as 70 per cent wanted to see road maintenance protected.

The condition of roads and pavements was seen as the highest priority for an incoming government, followed by the cost of using a car and the cost of travelling by train.

As many as 52 per cent of those polled said they were very or fairly dissatisfied with the road maintenance in their area – the highest figure since 2001.

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "This starkly underlines the huge inconvenience potholes are causing the majority of the public and leaves would-be politicians in no doubt of where voters think the next government's transport priorities should lie.

"The attention repeatedly focused on HSR misses the reality of most people's lives, which is that 92 per cent of all passenger journeys take place on the roads."