UK potholes and road defects have led to surge in callouts

AA and RAC report highest figures for at least five years and criticise lack of permanent repairs

Britain's potholed roads caused a surge in vehicle breakdowns last year, according to motoring organisations, which said related callouts were at their highest level for at least five years.

Figures from the AA and RAC breakdown services recorded substantial increases as a result of the state of the roads, which the government recently pledged to tackle with money diverted from cutting the HS2 high-speed railway project.