Britain's rural roads have suffered their worst deterioration since 1977, the government admitted yesterday.

The Department for Transport's "defects index" jumped by a record 12 per cent on unclassified roads last year.

Rural routes were in a worse state than any other category.

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told ePolitix.com: "We are unsurprised that roads in rural areas have come off worst in this new survey - it is symptomatic of many problems in rural Britain.

"It is yet another example of unequal service provision in the UK. Rural people pay higher rates of council tax than their urban counterparts, yet local government spending continues to be cut after years of under funding.

"The state of roads in rural areas may have become a bigger problem in recent years because of increasing commuterisation and heavier road use.

"If the economy enabled people to live and work closer together this would not be as much of a factor, but if someone who lives in the countryside can no longer find work there and must travel to the local town or city to work, he is going to have to drive because public transport is practically non-existent.

"Jobs and homes are further apart than ever before, so road use will inevitably increase - the only outcome: poor quality roads. Unless funding for public roads is allocated in a hurry we cannot expect this situation to improve.

"The countryside is not asking to be a special case, it simply wants access to fair and equal provision of public services."