The government is contributing £30,000 to fund a smartphone app to help identify potholes.

This money will help cycling charity CTC provide an android version of its current iPhone service, which allows users to report holes when they find them.

According to the Department for Transport, the service will be available in February. This is just in time for 'pothole season', where the roads suffer the most damage from winter conditions. Water, for example, damages surfaces when it freezes and expands.

Roads minister Robert Goodwill said: "Research has also shown a long-term approach to road maintenance, rather than patch and mend, can save councils and taxpayers money and potentially save lives thanks to better road conditions."

Earlier this year, the Asphalt Industry Association suggested it would cost £10.5 billion to return all the UK's roads back to a "reasonable condition". Last year, it estimated 2.2 million potholes cost councils £113 million in England and Wales, in addition to £32 million in compensation and £13 million for staff.