They are the lasting legacy of the previous two harsh winters.

Potholes appeared on many of the district’s roads after severe weather, causing a peril for motorists and costing cash-strapped local authorities thousands of pounds to fix.

But it appears in areas where roads have been patched up, the original potholes are beginning to resurface.

Bradford Road in Birkenshaw, one of the main thoroughfares into Bradford, is a case in point. Areas of the road damaged by snow and ice were consequently repaired, only to have blown open again.

Birstall and Birkenshaw councillor Robert Light says: “Bradford Road isn’t just about a few potholes, it’s about an erosion of the structure of the road.”

He questions why the road has eroded after recently being repaired and is concerned it may not be given the priority for repair.

Duncan McClure Fisher, of Warranty Direct, who set up Potholes.co.uk, said: “A combination of very cold, icy winters and UK-wide mismanagement of the potholes crisis has meant that we’ve had to tolerate the shocking state of our roads for several years now.

“If potholes were fixed properly the first time around and utility firms were regulated more effectively, in the long run councils would save money and reduce the impact on road-users significantly.

“The damage that was caused by the last few winters has never been solved, so we’re still left with many unrepaired potholes and crumbling patch-and-mend attempts.”

In the light of budget cuts, filling potholes is an additional cost that cash-strapped councils have to face due to the potential danger they pose and damage they can cause.

Last year, Kirklees Council saw a significant rise in the number of potholes needing to be repaired across the district.

From January to December 2009 the authority repaired 15,878 potholes; 29,313 were repaired from January to December 2010 and 34,749 were repaired from January to December 10, 2011.

Bradford Council says it hasn’t experienced as many problems with potholes this year.

A spokesman said: “Fortunately due to the mild winter we have not had the same problems. A few have appeared but not the same as in previous winters when snow and frost caused roads to heave.

“If it freezes and thaws quickly it brings up the road surface and any loose materials and this is exacerbated by running water, hence there are often problems with potholes on moor roads where you get wind, rain and frost and water running off the moorland. Running water gets down the joints and pulls out repairs.”

A spokesman for the AA says motorists are learning to live with them and councils are trying their best to fix them.

“The hard-pressed councils are fighting as hard as they can. The most important thing is to remember a pot-hole is a fact of life.

“I would never say it is a good thing, but one of the things we have learned over the past two or three years is to look for them more than we used to,” says the spokesman.

Helen Melhuish from the Asphalt Industry Alliance says while the weather has been milder, councils around the country are still playing ‘catch-up’ with their repairs.

“Central Government gave an extra £200 million to help repair additional potholes that appeared as a result of the extreme winter weather and many councils around the country, from the feedback we get, have been working extremely hard to catch up, but it was nowhere near enough to carry out the amount of work that needed to be done.”

Helen says she isn’t aware of anyone who has yet caught up with the back-log. “And although the weather has been milder, we have had quite a lot of rain and it is the water that does the damage. This is why when you see a road surface that is cracked, even if it isn’t potholed it will lead to potholes and that is what is starting to undermine the structure.”

She says the alliance is currently compiling information from a number of authorities throughout the country regarding road maintenance for their 17th annual ALARM (Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance) report due out in March.

* Anyone wanting to report a pothole in Bradford should contact (01274) 431000.