The effects from the ice, snow and flooding caused by the Beast from the East last week have worsened the conditions on the road.

This has caused the surface to crack and break causing potholes.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com said: “It’s alarming that pothole related breakdowns have doubled since last week’s bad weather. Drivers are already fed up of having a bumpy ride because of potholes. In fact, our research found that 1,031,787 potholes were reported across the UK in 2016 and caused £3.1 million worth of damage to vehicles.

“If drivers do experience a bump in the road, they should use our guide for advice on how to make your case for damage and report it to their local council before it gets any worse.

“The true depth of the UK’s pothole problem combined is as deep as the Earth’s upper crust (40,456m) and we’ve visualised this in a scrolling animation so drivers can see just how deep the problem goes in their local area.”

The information was collected following a Freedom of Information request to 412 local authorities, and the Highways Agency, Transport Scotland and Welsh Government.