The country is approaching "a tipping point" in tackling the blight of potholes with the repair bill set to soar to £14bn, it has been warned.
The looming price tag far outstrips the entire annual amount councils have to spend on highways and transport, which stood at £4.4bn in England last year.
To deal with the problem, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils across England and Wales, has urged the Government to plough a further £1bn a year into roads maintenance.
The organisation said this could be achieved by investing 2p per litre of existing fuel duty without increasing prices at the pump.
LGA analysis shows the bill for repairing roads in England and Wales could reach £14bn within two years.
The group's transport spokesman, Martin Tett, said: "This year could be a tipping point year regarding potholes.
"Councils have experienced significant budget reductions and now face the looming prospect of a bill of £14bn to bring the nation's roads up to scratch.
"It is wrong and unfair that the Government allocates almost 40 times more to maintaining national roads, which it controls, compared with local roads, which are overseen by councils. It is paramount this funding discrepancy is swiftly plugged."
He pointed out that councils repaired a pothole every 15 seconds last year, but warned funding cuts meant they were trapped in a "frustrating cycle" as they are only able to "patch up" roads.
The Department for Transport has earmarked £6bn for English councils to improve local roads over the current Parliament, in addition to a £50m-a-year fund specifically for tackling potholes.
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