Local authorities, employers and homeowners are counting the cost of Britain's "big freeze" in the form of repairs to potholes and cracked pipes.
The cycle of freezing and thawing water will widen cracks in road surfaces, creating potholes, warns the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Northamptonshire County Council wants £5m to fix weather-damaged roads.
Meanwhile, plumbers and utilities firms have taken thousands of calls about leaks from frozen pipes.
Throughout the cold snap, much of the public's attention has been focused on a shortage of salt for gritting treacherous roads.
But Institution of Civil Engineers vice-president Geoff French said the thaw could bring little respite, with drivers having to cope with increasing numbers of potholes.
The continuous cycle of freezing and thawing - particularly on roads where long-term maintenance had been neglected - could break up road surfaces, he said.
"Water gets into cracks in the road surface, it then freezes and expands the crack. Then more water gets in, it freezes because of the weather cycle we're in and it steadily gets worse," he said.
In April, the Asphalt Industry Alliance said in a report there was a pothole for every 120 yards of road in England and Wales and that it would take 13 years to clear the backlog of repairs.
Prof Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "Potholes are not just about inconvenience. They damage vehicles and cause accidents. It is wrong to think doing nothing is the easy option.
"In previous years councils have spent almost as much money dealing with compensation claims as fixing the problem."
The Local Government Association, which represents councils in England and Wales, calculates its members spent more than £60m filling in around 970,000 potholes last year.
Its transport board chairman David Sparks said: "The latest cold weather means they are working flat out to fill in the ones created during the last month of freezing weather."
AA head of roads policy Paul Watters said it would be "much worse" because of cold weather which had been more widespread this winter.
He said councils were too focused on "patching up" road surfaces, rather than rebuilding highways to correct structural faults.
"As a result, in cold spells, whole lengths of road can sag, expand, break up or start to undulate," Mr Watters added.
No doubt 'potholes' wll be the next excuse for bins not being emptied!
