BRADFORD is lagging behind the best councils when it comes to pothole repairs, according to a new survey.

Although the local authority aims to fix the most severe potholes within 24 hnours, some councils say they repair the worst potholes in minutes.

Analysis by motoring research charity the RAC Foundation found that Cumbria, Flinstshire and South Lanarkshire try to act "immediately" to repair road defects which pose the greatest safety risk to drivers and riders.

Harrow Council has a target repair time of half an hour, while a further 16 councils aim to patch things up within an hour.

The most common response time is two hours, with 79 local authorities looking to patch up their roads within this period.

Bradford has a 24 hour response time for severe potholes, according to figures provided by 190 of the 207 local highway authorities in Britain.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: "It is understandable that large rural authorities set themselves longer response times, simply as a result of having to travel further to effect repairs, but motorists might still be surprised to see such a wide variation across the country.

"Those particularly vulnerable to potholes - cyclists and motorcyclists - might ask whether the speed of pothole investigation should be based solely on the risk to users."