Remedying the perpetual abundance of potholes is “hopeless” without a massive injection of funds, according to a traffic expert.

The heavy rainfall of the recent days has led to the appearance of new potholes on roads in various localities, as well as the worsening of already existing ones.

Traffic expert Hugh Arnett believes that, with the limited resources being allocated to the problem, authorities are fighting a losing battle.

“They need about €50 million, but they’re putting in maybe €10 million. And if you have a bad year and everything gets washed away because the job wasn’t done properly, that money has been spent anyway,” he said.

Car mechanics who spoke to Times of Malta said they noted an increase in pothole-related damage whenever there was inclement weather.

While damage was mostly limited to tyres, more serious or lasting damage sometimes occurred because motorists were less able to judge the depth of potholes filled with water.

“A pothole can be absolutely devastating,” said Mr Arnett. “If you have a motorbike with fairly narrow tyres, you can be thrown right off. Even an ordinary saloon can be flipped over if it gets it slightly wrong.”

Improving the surfaces of link roads in particular could also alleviate some of the incessant congestion problems on arterial roads, he said.

“People will realise they don’t all need to be on one road, and it’s not going to matter that they need to drive an extra three or four kilometres because the service will be so good that they’ll barely notice.”

In the absence of more action from the authorities, he called for motorists to be more vocal in highlighting the problem.

“The best thing motorists can do is complain furiously. If you suffer damage, take a photograph and tell the local council or Transport Malta. If enough people complain, they’ll have to pay compensation.”