ROAD campaigners have slammed the amount of money the Government makes from motorists each year compared with the cash it spends on maintaining the country’s roads.

The RAC Foundation says car owners contribute £28billion to the Treasury each year through fuel duty and road tax, but just £5 billion of this is allocated for the entire national network.

Earlier this week, The Bolton News revealed that Bolton Council would have to spend more than £76million to bring the borough’s roads, footpaths, street lights and bridges back to a decent state.

And that figure is increasing at a rate of more than £11million per year as the cold weather, increased amount of traffic and historic lack of investment takes a heavy toll on local infrastructure.

In response to the figures, The Bolton News has launched a campaign which calls for the Government to find the £13.6 million needed to bring the borough’s main roads to an acceptable standard.

Philip Gomm, the RAC Foundation’s head of communications, said: “Not taking action now is a false economy. Bolton Council's own data reveals that failing to make minor repairs quickly leads to much bigger problems which then cost the earth to fix.

“If the road network is not up to scratch then the whole economy suffers, tax revenue falls and the financial pressures become even greater.

“It is not as if drivers do not contribute their fair share. For every mile they travel they contribute a net 4p to the Government. In contrast passengers on local bus services get a subsidy of 6.4p per mile, whilst rail passengers get a massive 20.8p per mile.”