BRITAIN'S pothole crisis has reached a new high, with damage bills costing motorists well over £1billion in the last year.

And more than 11million drivers were forced to have their vehicle repaired due to pothole damage in the same period.

New research published by automotive servicing and repair company Kwik Fit found the cost of poor road conditions had risen to £1.21billion - up 32 per cent on the year before.

But compared to the year ending in March 2016 when the total bill was £684million, the financial burden on motorists has increased 77 per cent in just three years.

And while the average cost to the individual motorist of repairing damage has reduced slightly from £111 to £108.86, the number of motorists being affected has jumped.

An additional 2.9million drivers have suffered damage since last year, with the total cost likely to rise further as 1.4million drivers are yet to have their vehicle repaired.

A Kwik Fit survey found one in three drivers who hit a potholed suffered damage to their car, with the most common repairs being to tyres, suspension, wheels and steering.

And around 17 per cent of drivers claim to hit at least one pothole almost every day they drive.

When it came to the worst hit areas, Londoners suffered the most.

Motorists in the capital were slapped with a repair bill of almost £205million, while those in Wales suffered the least damage with repair bills totalling £20.4million.

Roger Griggs, Communications Director at Kwik Fit, said: “The cost of damage from potholes is hitting more and more drivers who are continuing to see their cash being spent on issues that are not entirely their fault.

"Fortunately, this winter has not been as harsh as it has been in recent years, however as we know with the Great British weather, conditions which would further damage our road network could still be round the corner.

“It is worth noting that damage isn’t always immediately noticeable so motorists should give their car a thorough check when they do hit a pothole.

"Damage can also often be internal so anyone concerned about their car can take it to one of our centres so the staff can put it on the ramp for closer inspection.”