Drivers in Surrey have travelled the equivalent distance of 511 journeys to the sun and 322 round trips to the moon in one decade.

The Department for Transport figures reveal that Surrey’s roads are the third busiest in Britain, sparking a call for greater investment in highways from central government.

In the decade between 1999 and 2009, Surrey motorists travelled 95.2 billion miles.

A Surrey County Council spokesman said the mammoth mileage shows the strain on Surrey’s roads, with only Hampshire and Kent experiencing greater traffic flows in Britain.

Leader of the council, Dr Andrew Povey, welcomed the government’s recent pledge to give councils across the country an extra £100 million to repair potholes and said he hoped further investment would follow.

Dr Povey said: “The South East is the engine room of Britain’s economy but underinvestment in our roads has restricted economic growth.

"If the region is to lead the country's economic recovery our companies will need good quality roads to do business on.

"In Surrey we’re making our funds stretch as far as possible.

"Next year alone we’ll invest £16.3 million in road improvements and major highways projects.

"However, we estimate it would cost around £400 million to raise our roads to the standard we would like them to be at but this is money we simply don’t have."