ONE in five cars brought in to an East Lancashire body repair shop has damage caused by potholes, a boss has revealed.

Keith Dempsey, of the Karl Vella Group, said the number of vehicles with problems caused by divets in roads was increasing as surfaces deteriorated.

The number of potholes in East Lancashire is rising after councils’ highways maintenance budgets were slashed by the Government.

Operations manager Keith Dempsey said: “There is a lot more cars around with wheel alignment issues and potholes are causing that.

“People might not notice it at first and it may only be picked up when it is brought into body repair shops like ours.

“It tends to be the quieter roads that have worse potholes because councils keep an eye on the busier ones. We will expect more cases this year without doubt.”

Mr Dempsey said Karl Vella could offer checks on repairs for drivers worried about pothole damage.

Earlier this year, company owner Mr Vella said his firm was having to diversify because East Lancashire motorists were involved in fewer accidents than previous years.

The company, of Ordnance Street, Furthergate, Blackburn, now offers tyre changes and air conditioning checks.