"Once that starts it has to be finished."

At the other end of the scale, England's most popular motorway was identified as the M40, which runs between London and Birmingham, earning a satisfaction score of 79%.The A19, which connects Seaton Burn, near Newcastle, with Doncaster, was rated the best A road in the country with 85%.

The A12, which runs between London and Lowestoft, Suffolk, was ranked last with 55%.The overall satisfaction score for respondents' last journeys on motorways or major A roads declined from 73% in 2022-23 to 71% in 2023-24, while satisfaction with journey times fell from 71% to 68%.Transport Focus chief executive Alex Robertson said: "Drivers tell us that the maintenance of motorways and major roads - how most of us get around the country - is more important to them than building new roads.

"With road user perceptions of road surface quality deteriorating since 2022 - and declining satisfaction with journey times - National Highways must continue to focus on delivering safe, smooth journeys."A National Highways spokesperson said it had a "robust programme" of improvements, which it claimed would provide long-term benefits for motorists, including shorter and more reliable journey times.

"Maintaining and investing in our roads is a priority and our most recent assessment shows that over 96% of them are in good condition," they said.

Below is how England's motorways and A roads were ranked in the survey in order of overall satisfaction:"The team are always there to greet [people]," Mrs Barwick said.

"We've got a really happy team who are really friendly and the heart of the pier has not changed at all."People love coming here on a daily basis and sometimes it is a stop for them... they come down for a coffee and it's there means of getting out and chatting to people.

"We've got all our regulars who we love seeing every day, so it is a very special place and that's what we've got to look after for the customers and our returning trade."After moving to Southwold several years ago, the couple saw the pier was available to buy after it previous owners, Gough Hotels, put it up for sale after 10 years.