The A12 has been named and shamed as the worst road in Britain.

The stretch between Colchester and Chelmsford was highlighted for its poor state of repair in a survey of 4,000 motorists, and traffic police have agreed with the findings.

Nearly 90,000 vehicles travel on the road every day, dodging potholes and enduring delays caused by frequent roadworks.

PC Roger Manser, of Stanway road traffic policing unit, described the road surface as "atrocious".

"There are great lumps and bumps, particularly around the section that was renewed last year near Witham," he said.

"The problem is the sheer weight of traffic, with everything travelling between London and the east coast on two lanes of the A12.

"The road wasn't designed to cope with the volume of traffic it gets and needs extensive maintenance."

The research, carried out by Cornhill Direct Motor Insurance, found 85 per cent of motorists want the Government to spend more on the upkeep of Britain's roads, and a quarter of drivers would be prepared to pay higher taxes to fund that work.