Lewisham has recorded more than 17,000 potholes in five years, according to new research.

The findings from not-for-profit campaign group Round Our Way showed that the borough recorded 17,055 potholes since 2018, including 2,582 potholes recorded between January and November 2023.

The number of potholes in Lewisham has, however, halved since 2018, when a whopping 4,673 potholes were registered.

There were also 2,734 potholes in 2019, 2,593 in 2020, and 2,732 in 2021.

The numbers dropped to 1,741 in 2022, before shooting up again last year.

Roger Harding, Director of Round Our Way, said: "Potholes are the bane of many of our lives and put drivers, cyclists and even pedestrians at risk of serious injury.

"The weather extremes that climate change brings are sadly creating many more of them at a time when cuts mean repairs are already not keeping up."

Round Our Way’s research suggests Lewisham’s staggering number of potholes is part of a country-wide trend fuelled by a combination of extreme weather and reduced spending on road repairs.

The UK is on course to see its highest ever recorded rate of potholes, projected to exceed the one million mark in 2023, a 62.3 per cent increase on the previous year.

Based on data collected from 115 local authorities and projections where information wasn't available, the group's report shows that 2023 will likely surpass 2018's five-year high, projecting a total of 686,759 potholes to be recorded by the end of December 2023.

According to Round Our Way’s analysis, the conditions that lead to potholes - typically water, traffic and freeze-thaw cycles - could be made worse by the adverse weather brought about by climate change.

The group's study reveals that storm Babet in October and the late November snow and ice likely contributed to a rise in potholes.

Meanwhile, cuts to council funding mean the UK is falling behind countries like France, the US and Japan in road repair investments, the Local Government Association says.

Dr Benyi Cao, Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow and Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Surrey, said: "This analysis highlighting the alarming rise in the number of potholes across UK in 2023 is deeply concerning.

"Climate change, with its associated increase in extreme weather conditions, could potentially worsen the pothole situation."