The RAC has reported an 82% increase in ‘pothole’ breakdowns with January and February 2015 marked as the worst months for suspension spring call-outs.

RAC patrols attended nearly 7,500 breakdowns in the first two months of the year compared to just over 4,000 suspension spring call-outs in 2014 and 2013 – the year that gave rise to so many potholes due to cold weather – nearly 5,600.

RAC Chief Engineer, David Bizley, said: “The sharp increase in suspension spring faults that we have seen across the country really does cast a cloud on the quality of our roads.”

With the replacement of suspension springs in an average vehicle costing up to £350, the RAC estimates that motorists are potentially facing a combined bill of more than £1 million each month – with the poor state of the UK’s roads to blame.

The problems caused by bad quality road surfaces are not confined to suspension springs either – shock absorbers can be affected, and tyres and wheels potentially damaged.

Estimates have placed the bill to repair the UK’s potholes at £12.16 billion and the repairs would take 13 years to complete.

Bizley added: “Experience tells us that these problems are normally worse in the first half of the year, so if numbers are still high come the summer we will know that local authorities are still struggling to get on top of the maintenance backlog.”