The city council said it must submit a planning application to itself before it can fix a number of notorious potholes.

Brighton resident Simon Stoner says vehicles are regularly damaged from driving in The Ride, Preston Park, and has slammed councillors for failing to act.

Simon has directly blamed council leader Bella Sankey for the problem and painted her name on the tarmac around the holes.

“I’ve had enough, nothing gets done and the reporting system is as good as a chocolate teapot,” said Simon.

“People tell me each week that there’s hundreds of pounds of damage to their cars.”

The Argus: Simon Stoner says Bella Sankey is responsible for fixing the potholes

Brighton and Hove City Council confirmed it has been in contact with Simon and told him why work has not yet begun.

“We have explained to Mr Stoner that because the park is Grade II listed we need to put in a planning application to carry out the works needed,” said a council spokesman.

“We aim to submit this application shortly with a view to carrying out the repairs in the summer.

“Road surfaces and pothole repairs are a priority for us as they matter for the safety of cyclists, car drivers and passengers, buses and businesses.

The Argus: The city council aims to fix potholes 24 hours after they are reported.The city council aims to fix potholes 24 hours after they are reported. (Image: Supplied)

“We are committed to listening to residents and responding well when we are notified of issues directly.”

The spokesman said that damage to roads should be reported via its website.

“These feed straight into our operational rotas and are therefore the quickest way of getting action taken,” he said.

“We are committed to fixing potholes that are assessed as being urgent within 24 hours of us being notified.”

The Argus: £582,000 was given to Brighton and Hove last year to repair potholes.£582,000 was given to Brighton and Hove last year to repair potholes. (Image: Supplied)

In 2021 to 2022, the latest figures available, just 6.5 miles of road in Brighton and Hove were resurfaced, though this is up from just 483 metres five years before.

Roads can also be surface dressed, where they are sprayed with a tar-like substance, before stone chippings are spread over the top and rolled in.

READ MORE: Brighton's dingiest toilets will be refurbished this year

It can extend a road's lifetime by 10 years but none were treated in 2021 to 2022 or five years earlier.

In the Spring Budget last March, the government announced an extra £200 million would be invested in repairing England's potholes by April 2024.

Of this, £582,000 was given to Brighton and Hove.