A PHOTO highlighting a large pothole has won a national competition.

Antony Maybury's shot of a lorry passing by the large pothole on the A525 near Bronington took first place in the State of the Roads Photography Competition

“I entered the competition as the roads around Wrexham are very bad. Every journey I make I feel as if I’m driving the Mars Rover!

“The roads are in a sorry state and something needs to be done. I feel as if my council do not care so by winning I now hope Wrexham Council take action and make our roads safer.”

The competition - run by the National Assembly’s Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee - was launched to raise awareness of the committee’s inquiry into the state of Welsh roads, which will publish its findings in October.

The winning photograph will feature on the cover of the committee’s report and be part of an exhibition, along with other shortlisted images, at the Senedd from 3 to 14 September.

Committee chairman Russell George AM said: "I never thought I’d be so interested in looking at so many pictures of potholes!

“The standard was very high with some wonderful images, not just of terrible tarmac but also of breath-taking B roads from some beautiful parts of Wales.

“We chose the winning image because the very size of the lorry’s wheels really puts into perspective the size of the pothole problem, not just on that stretch of road, but across the country.

“While this has been a light-hearted part of our inquiry the state of our roads is a serious business, as it not only makes them uncomfortable but also loses the country time and money every day."

“Alongside the competition, the Committee has taken evidence from a wide range of road users, businesses and engineering experts."

Cllr David A Bithell, Wrexham Council lead member for transport, said the authority is spending more than £3m to improve road surfaces.

He added: "We recognise that we, along with most other local authorities, are faced with a mammoth task following the harsh winter we had and the detrimental effect it had on the road surfaces.

"I’m not sure how helpful this current exercise by the Welsh Government has been apart from highlighting the gross underspend from national governments in maintaining road surfaces.

"A copy of our highways repairs programme is available on our website https://www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/travel/highways/programme/capital.htm”