The government has released a further £220 million to councils across England to repair potholes.
Nearly 7,000 miles of road surfacing will be completed this year.
Figures from local councils show over 10 per cent more resurfacing than took place last year.
£4.9 billion has already been spent this year, £800 million more than before this government came to power.
Now, the government has unlocked £220 million in incentive-based funding to councils across England to meet performance-based targets. Further funding will be released later in the year only if councils reach their performance targets, and can be withheld if they fail to reach them as part of the government’s efforts to hold councils to account.
The reports councils submitted to the government show that 94% of councils will complete preventative roadworks this year. Last year, only 76 per cent of councils did this work.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "For too long potholes have been a source of national embarrassment, forcing hard-working people to fork out for repairs and posing a danger to all road users. But today’s figures show that we are starting to turn a corner.
"While we know there is much more to do, our record funding, combined with tough new rules holding councils to account, mean that drivers are making smoother journeys while giving people roads they can rely on."
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: "This data is encouraging. It’s good to see so many miles of road being resurfaced, but it’s also positive that the preventative maintenance message has got through as we’ve long argued that councils need to take steps to stop potholes appearing in the first place, and not just patch them up. Surface dressing, if done properly, is a very cost effective way of improving more roads for the long term.
"The proof, of course, will be in whether drivers and other road users notice the difference. Getting the country’s roads up to a decent standard, and keeping them there, isn’t an overnight job. But at least we’re now on the right track."
