POTHOLES are wreaking havoc on the roads after months of heavy rain – with drivers and cyclists suffering the consequences.

So far this year Brighton and Hove City Council has repaired more than 1,300 potholes but despite spending more than £2 million in road repairs in the past year, the city’s streets are still riddled.

The council was awarded an extra £440,000 in Government funding last April to tackle potholes.

All that money has now been spent on repairs.

Almost £1.5 million more has been spent on carriageway and pavement repairs and drainage. More than £400,000 came from the council’s maintenance budget plus more than £1 million from the capital budget.

Window cleaner Ross Pettigrew says a pothole near Brighton’s Palace Pier caused £250 damage to the suspension on his van.

Ross said: “There are really bad pot holes everywhere.

“I was driving along Marine Parade towards the pier and heard this wallop.

“It snapped the front suspension on my van.

“It cost me £250 to get it fixed but it could have been much more serious and caused a crash.”

The Fix My Street website where members of the public can report potholes currently has 590 unresolved potholes across the city.

The problem is so bad a cycling charity is launching its Pothole Watch event next week to highlight the problem of poorly maintained roads and to encourage people to use report problems to the relevant authority.

Cycling UK’s campaigns manager Keir Gallagher said: “While potholes are a real problem for everyone who uses the roads, they are particularly dangerous for cyclists.

“Although local authorities have a duty to fix potholes when they are reported to them, councils currently lack the long-term funding they need from central Government to enable them to deal with the pothole crisis strategically and improve the local roads we all use every day.”

Cycling UK’s Fill That Hole database currently has more than 300 potholes reported across the city.

A council spokesman said: “Brighton and Hove City Council investigate all reports of potholes we receive. Urgent cases are repaired within 24 hours or even within two hours in some cases. We programme less serious ones into our ongoing programme of road repair work, or continue to monitor them.

“Our levels of resident satisfaction regarding highway maintenance are above the national average.

“We’re grateful to receive reports from residents about potholes in addition to our own inspection reports.”

To report a pothole to the council visit at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/road-repairs.