HIGHWAYS engineers across England are fighting a losing battle to keep the nation's roads in a fit state.

Alarming figures published today show a 10-year maintenance backlog.

Officials claim they get just a third of the cash they need - leaving them with a £1.6bn shortfall - according to findings published by the Asphalt Industry Alliance.

They come just days after the Examiner went on pothole patrol in Huddersfield.

Readers came up with a lengthy list of candidates for the worst road.

Their suggestions included Blackmoorfoot Road in Crosland Moor and Whiteley Street in Milnsbridge.

Leaders of the Asphalt Industry Alliance today called for urgent action to get roads in good shape.

Chairman Jim Crick said it was time to tackle the long-term agenda.

He said: "Unless we start getting a proper grip of road maintenance in England right now, we will stack up even more serious problems for the future.

"Today's patch and mend mentality is a very poor use of funding and it is failing to address the underlying maintenance issues facing us.

"If local authorities fail to take up the challenge there is likely to be a heavy price to pay, not just to catch up with the maintenance programme, but for businesses, communities and the environment, not to mention implications for safety."

The report said that an average increase of £6.7m per authority in spending last year did not even begin to address decades of under-investment in road surface repair.