British people are increasingly dissatisfied with public services, with the state of the nation's roads topping the list of frustrations, a survey has revealed.

Just 54% of the public are satisfied with the condition of the UK's roads and highways, down from 58% in the previous quarter, research for the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) found. Satisfaction levels have fallen for all key public services.

The survey showed that 65% were satisfied with public transport (down from 66% in the previous quarter), 73% with electricity and gas supplies to their homes (from 81%) and 74% with rubbish services (from 78%).

Flood defence provision met with the approval of 63% of those questioned (down from 71%) and 84% of people were satisfied with drinking water and sewage services (from 92%).

The survey found rubbish disposal was the top priority for more investment (39%), followed by roads (37%), public transport (36%) and drinking water and sewage (33%).

ICE director general Tom Foulkes said: "You cannot blame the public for becoming more dissatisfied and frustrated with the state of our roads and highways.

"With an estimated £1 billion road maintenance backlog, there are too many roads that have been in need of proper repair for a long time and are deteriorating further by the day.

"Funding for maintenance tends to focus on quick-fix reactive work, which rarely tackles the underlying cause of damage and fails to prolong the life of the road."