A RECORD 122,534 potholes were reported to local councils in 2017/18 – the highest number across the UK in one year – with Surrey County Council topping the list for the five authorities in the south east.

New Freedom of Information data obtained by Confused.com revealed a staggering 41,295 potholes were reported by Surrey drivers, more than twice the number for Kent in second place with 18,295.

Hampshire was fourth with 14,696 and West Sussex fifth with 11,106.

Surrey County Council spent £7.5m on repairs in 2017/18 and paid out £446,812 in compensation.

Explaining the criteria, Surrey highways cabinet member Matt Furniss said: “Serious defects are defined as those that require immediate attention to make the public safe from the highest risk of harm.

“These defects will be responded to within two hours of it being reported.

“The criteria used to designate a pothole as needing immediate repair is dependent on a dynamic risk assessment carried out by Surrey County Council staff. The assessment will include assessing risks to cyclists.

“Any that are assessed as requiring immediate attention will be responded to within two hours.

“If a member of the public phones in a report of a high-risk pothole, they will be asked questions to confirm it poses an immediate risk – and if so this will also be dealt with within two hours.

“Potholes not designated as requiring an immediate repair are responded to within five days if the depth is greater than 40mm on a road or greater than 25mm on a designated cycle lane.

“In Surrey, between 40,000 and 50,000 potholes a year are filled.”

As the UK recovers from a burst of ice and snow, more and more potholes may start to appear on roads – a dreaded issue for motorists and local councils.

According to the Confused.com data, 122,534 potholes were reported to local councils across the south east in 2017/18.

And to see just how far this problem goes, Confused.com has combined these reports with the minimum depth of a road defect to be considered a pothole to reveal a total depth of almost three miles across the region.

The combined depth of the UK’s 905,172 potholes is more than 20 miles – three times the depth of the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, the Mariana Trench.