Councils in England will get extra funds to repair residential streets, country lanes and smaller B and C roads will also be restored when Chancellor, Jeremey Hunt, announces a £200m pot will be distributed over the coming months.
Department for Transport figures show around half of unclassified residential roads are in need of resurfacing in some areas of the country while around 25% of B and C roads are in need of similar repairs.
Mr Hunt told the Daily Mail: 'Potholes cause misery for motorists. This cash will fix up to four million potholes, keeping the country moving and putting growth in the fast lane.'
Transport Secretary Mark Harper added: 'Potholes are a blight on Britain's roads. This latest round of funding shows we are committed to supporting all road users – from motorists to cyclists and bus passengers – and making journeys smoother and safer for all.'
The money will be in addition to the £1.125billion being spent annually between 2020 and 2025 on resurfacing and repairing local highways.
Edmund King, president of the AA, said: 'This £200million pothole bonus is a welcome contribution in the short term to help fill the plague of potholes which is blighting drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.’
The RAC's roads policy chief, Nicholas Lyes, added: 'While welcome, another £200million is unlikely to make a big difference to the overall quality of our dilapidated local roads.
'We need to significantly increase funding for local road maintenance and improvement so councils can resurface roads properly rather than patching them up and hoping for the best.'
