NATIONAL Pothole Day is taking place today to draw attention to the issues facing roads across the country.

Brighton and Hove City Council has said the roads in the city are above the national average for road maintenance and road condition – but residents seem to disagree.

Paul Hough, a cyclist from Brighton, said he has had to repair several bikes due to riding in the city.

He said: “Last year alone I had to spend about £100 in replacement inner tubes for my bike. The previous year I hit a hole and came off the bike, causing damage and injury.

“Brighton and Hove City Council said to me it’s not their responsibility to maintain the roads.”

Beth Nichols, who lives in Norfolk Square, Brighton, agreed on the poor condition of the roads and said more action is needed.

She said: “A single pothole in Church Road in Hove blew both the passenger side tyres out in a single go on November 30 last year. I am still waiting to hear from the council. They have advised me it could take up to three months. All the while I’m out of pocket.”

Councillor Dawn Barnett said: “The potholes in Brighton and Hove are in an absolutely disgusting state.

“The worst thing is they never seem to get fixed and then they just get worse and worse.

“They then get in to a state where there is no going back and it’s too late to fix them.

A council spokesman said: “The council does not record potholes separately from other types of road defects or hazards so does not have specific information for the number of pothole requests, repairs and cost.

“The cost of repairing a pothole depends on a number of factors including size, location, traffic management and method of repair. The council’s budget for carriageways and footways is about £4 million for this year. This includes a one-off sum of over £1 million provided by the Government in November 2018.

“The National Highways and Transport survey shows that for 2018, we are four per cent above (53 per cent) the national average (49 per cent) for highway maintenance satisfaction generally and within that, at 40 per cent, we are nine per cent higher than the national average (31 per cent) for road condition satisfaction.”

To report a pothole visit brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/parking-and-travel/roads-and-highways/pavement-and-road-repairs.