These are the UK areas with the worst roads for motorcyclists

If you ride a motorcycle in the UK, you'll know that road surface quality can make a huge difference to a ride. For car drivers, potholes are a danger. They can cost you your excess and ruin your plans in the blink of an eye.

For bikers, all the same points above also apply, along with the added risk that you could crash, causing severe injuries, or worse.

Now new data has revealed the areas where Britain's roads are in the worst condition.

The analysis, carried out by field management software company Re-flow Field Management, uses Department for Transport (DfT) road condition data, and looked at the proportion of A, B and C roads classified as either red or amber.

Red roads are those considered to be in poor condition and potentially requiring immediate investigation or maintenance, while amber roads are also flagged as requiring attention.

At the top of the list is West Northamptonshire, where around 83 per cent of roads are classed as needing improvement. Just 5 per cent of its A-roads are marked red, but 71 per cent are amber. On B and C roads, 17.5 per cent are red and another 72.5 per cent are amber.

For motorcyclists, that's a lot of potentially rough road to contend with.

Derbyshire comes second overall, although it has the highest proportion of red-rated A-roads in the study, at 20.4 per cent. A further 44 per cent are rated amber. Its B and C roads fare even worse, with 27 per cent rated red and 47.6 per cent amber.

That's particularly interesting for riders given the number of popular motorcycle routes running through Derbyshire and the Peak District, where road surface quality can have a significant effect on a bike's behaviour.

North Northamptonshire is third overall, with 3 per cent of its A-roads and 10 per cent of its B and C roads rated red. However, 71 per cent of A-roads and 82 per cent of B and C roads are classed as amber.

Bristol, Southend-on-Sea, Bath and North East Somerset, Bradford and Liverpool also feature among the areas with the highest proportions of roads requiring attention.

At the other end of the table, Sunderland has the best road surfaces in the study, with just 1 per cent of its roads requiring immediate investigation.

For motorcyclists, the figures are a useful reminder that road condition isn't simply about avoiding the occasional pothole. 

A high proportion of amber-rated roads can mean uneven surfaces, repairs, deteriorating tarmac and other defects that may not be severe enough to trigger an immediate intervention but can still affect a motorcycle.

And while four wheels can often shrug off a poor surface, a bike has considerably less contact with the road. A pothole, broken edge or badly repaired section can be enough to unsettle a motorcycle, particularly mid-corner.

The data also highlights that being able to enjoy safe, well maintained roads is a bit of a post code lottery. With individual councils responsible to maintaining and fixing their own A, B, and C roads, you could be riding on a decent road one minute, and cross a boundary into Pot Holeville!

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