The condition of England’s local roads has been branded “a national embarrassment” amid confusion over how councils are spending taxpayer money on maintenance and fixing potholes.

A damning report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) called out the Department for Transport (DFT) for not taking its responsibilities and use of public funds on local roads “sufficiently seriously.”

It found billions of pounds each year is going to councils, but given the money is not ring-fenced, ministers have no idea how it is being spent.

The PAC also concluded there is a lack of data covering the condition of local roads, while there is suspicion local authorities may be doing “just enough” maintenance work to keep routes from being rated red, the category used when repairs are required.

Funding is “not being targeted at where it is most needed,” it warned, adding the DfT did not take into account traffic volumes, underlying road condition or local environmental conditions when allocating money.

The total cost of fixing local roads across England is estimated to have grown to over £15bn, while industry estimates have repeatedly shown conditions are getting worse and damage to vehicles from potholes is increasing.

“The declining state of England’s local roads is a national embarrassment,” Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, chair of the committee, said.

“As well as harming the prospects for our economy and communities’ own social wellbeing, highways riddled with potholes pose an increasing safety threat to road users.

“Alarmingly, however, not only is the state of our local roads on the downslope, our inquiry shows government are having to find out about these issues from industry bodies and road users themselves due to their own patchy data.”