Bucks is home to some of the worst roads in the country – after more than 70,000 potholes were recorded in the area over the last four years.

The county has been ranked number 10 in a list of local authority areas with the highest number of potholes, as an insurance provider found 72,551 road defects were reported in Bucks from 2015 to 2018.

This works out as an average of 19 potholes plaguing each kilometre stretch of council-managed roads in Bucks, according to The Insurance Emporium.

However, Bucks County Council (BCC) has invested millions into filling potholes over the past year, after freezing temperatures and relentless rain destroyed the county’s roads in 2018.

Almost one million potholes have been recorded nationally each year since 2015 – with 335 damage and injury claims submitted as a result of damaged roads in 2017 to 2018.

Chief executive officer at The Insurance Emporium, Francis Martin, said cyclists are at risk of being injured if they hit a pothole, and called for councils to act to prevent accidents from happening.

Francis said: “As many of us are cyclists and road users ourselves, we are all too aware of the potential risks posed by potholes.

“With reported potholes of around a million being recorded by many local authorities each year since 2015, cyclists could risk personal injury and bike damage if they encounter one on their travels.

“We sincerely hope that the potholes issue can be rectified over the coming year so that people can fully enjoy their cycling adventures.”

In May last year a woman from Chalfont St Giles was left with multiple injuries after her bike struck a pothole, while another cyclist needed a number of operations after he hit a nine-inch pothole masked with rainwater in Stony Stratford.

Cabinet member for transport at BCC, Mark Shaw, has assured residents road repair schemes will continue throughout 2019.

He said: “BCC, like all local authorities nationally, faces annual challenges in most effectively utilising limited budgets to most effectively deal with defects arising on the highway network.

“Whilst recent severe winter periods have accelerated defect formation to very high numbers in early 2018, work since that time to progress more substantial patching schemes to complement individual defect repairs has resulted in significant reductions in reported potholes during 2018.

“Our proposed programmes in 2019 continue these activities and, it is anticipated, will assist in making further inroads into the defect backlog across the county.”