The boss of a specialist contracting firm is hoping that Britain’s pothole-ridden roads will keep his firm busy, despite local authority budgets being slashed.

Jez Wright, managing director of Baildon-based Chris Wright Road Planing, says the state of the roads is so bad that unless repairs continue councils could face surging bills from insurance claims.

He said: “We’re working flat out at the moment and hopefully will remain busy as the roads are in such a poor state.

“Local authorities are obviously facing financial pressures from spending cuts, but I believe road maintenance will need to remain a priority for safety reasons.”

His company, which has bucked the economic downturn, has bought a new state-of-the-art road planer, the 30th machine acquired since it started in 1995.

For more details, read today's Telegraph & Argus.