SMALL businesses in Bolton and across the North West say addressing the state of weather-ravaged roads is a number one priority, according to a new survey.

The Federation of Small businesses quizzed its members in Greater Manchester to see which key areas they would like to see more money spent on by whoever forms the next government.

In total, 37 per cent of respondents chose repairing the region’s roads as their most important issue.

Further to this, 68% of local FSB members thought that the region’s road network had not been maintained to an acceptable standard over the last three years.

It was revealed last week that Bolton Council spent £1 million on pothole repairs last year, which represented a 50 per cent increase on the year before.

But Highways chiefs admitted that they need to spend even more money to keep on top of the problem across the borough, and the FSB survey suggests that small business owners agree.

FSB regional chair for Greater Manchester and North Cheshire, Simon Edmondson, said: “This won’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the sorry state of roads right across the region. From built up urban areas to rural lanes, they are now mostly in a dreadful state following the harsh winter weather, and a sustained period of neglect.

“Our members rely on roads not just to trade, but for staff to get in to work, for goods to be delivered, and for customers to come and spend.

“Why is it then that so many roads have been allowed to fall in to such disrepair?

“We know small firms hang much of their business operations on the road network, more so than rail in most cases, yet we have a road network that is almost third world in some areas, a national embarrassment and quite possibly a hindrance to business. It’s actually quite a depressing state of affairs.”

“Our research shows town hall chiefs and those candidates standing for election in May exactly where they should be concentrating resources. For far too long the road infrastructure has been sorely neglected, and we are fast approaching the point where repair bills are out of control.”

Bolton Council recently received a £16 million boost from central government to tackle the issue of potholes over the next six years, but Cllr David Chadwick, Bolton Council’s cabinet member for transport said this figure was “not sufficient” to tackle the backlog of roadworks across the borough.