With sky-high fuel costs and waning consumer confidence, the last thing delivery drivers need at the moment is a hefty repair bill.

Unfortunately, public sector budget cuts have forced many local councils to cancel road repair work and this has led to a pothole epidemic.

Some motorists are having to fork out huge sums to get the suspension or body work on their vans fixed because of the poor state of the country's road network.

According to research by Warranty Direct, drivers in Scotland and the north of England are three-times more likely to suffer pothole damage than people in other parts of the UK.

The study showed that one in ten vehicle owners in the Angus region of Scotland will face a trip to the garage this year, compared with just 3.2 per cent of road users in East Sussex.

Overall, drivers pay out more than £1 million a day to fix axle and suspension parts on their vehicles.