A VITAL route in and out of Croydon could fall into disrepair and even close, TfL has said as it struggles to deal with a huge funding blackhole.

The Croydon flyover, used by 40,000 motorists a day, needs major work to stay open, according to TfL. The “significant structural lighting renewal” was urgently needed to be done by 2025.

It was one of six roads and tunnels across London facing “imminent closure” without work in the next three years, a TfL report revealed. It is calling on the government to step in with more cash help.

Croydon and Sutton’s Conservative assembly member Neil Garratt thinks the claim it could close has been exaggerated and the flyover was “safe and will stay open”.

READ MORE: Croydon flyover closed overnight for repairs due to 'loose concrete'

But Val Shawcross, the Labour candidate for the Croydon mayoral elections, called on the government to save it.

She said: “The Croydon Flyover is a vital part of Croydon and London’s traffic system.  It’s been in place since the late 1960s it has linked us to our neighbours in Sutton and provided a vital South London access route for residents and businesses alike.

“If our flyover in Croydon is not safe to use, then traffic in Croydon will grind to a halt.”

Mr Garratt accused Labour of “blaming the government”. He said: “TfL are looking to upgrade the lights but there are no structural problems. Whenever the mayor is negotiating a bailout these scare stories appear, but if the mayor says the flyover isn’t properly maintained, then that doesn’t happen overnight.

“The flyover is the mayor’s responsibility. If he’s been neglecting the maintenance, he needs to own his bad decision and not blame the government.”

A spokesperson for London’s mayor Sadiq Khan said: “This is a small window into the stark reality of the financial crisis facing TfL, just days away from the current government funding deal expiring.

“Without a new, sustainable long-term funding deal there is a real risk of major projects being paused, cuts to services, trains falling into disrepair and closures on major road networks – all of which would disrupt services for hundreds of thousands of people and stifle the economic recovery of London and the country.”

A funding settlement was due to run out on February 4 but has been extended until February 18 while it is in discussions about future funding.

In a statement, the Department for Transport and transport secretary Grant Schapps said the network in London has been supported with £4.5 billion in extra funding.

It read: “Support to TfL has always been on the condition that TfL reaches financial sustainability as soon as possible and with a target date of April 2023, and government continues to press the Mayor of London and TfL to take the decisions needed to put the organisation on a sustainable footing.”