Every season it's a problem we tell you about - lots.

Potholes are a reality for an aging city infrastructure that contends annually with wild fluctuations in temperature which force concrete to expand and contract as water enters the cracks and seasons shift.

But this year, well that's a whole other story.

City crews are reporting record numbers of pothole complaints and as a result, have fixed more already in 2009 than ever before.

To combat the problem, the City of Toronto's Transportation Division has assigned a larger number of work crews to the job of fixing potholes and similar road defects. The crews pour hot asphalt and rake it into the pothole. Then they tamp down the asphalt and smooth it out until the road surface is improved.

It costs about $25 to repair a pothole. Crews claim they'll fix the divots within four days of one being reported.

"Potholes are like pit bulls, they pop up everywhere," said City Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker. "You can be on a road with no potholes Monday and Wednesday there's a pothole."