Council welcomes further pothole funding

However the authority stresses the level of repairs needed is "significant" and it will continue to press for more support

A combination of sub-zero temperatures, rain and snow throughout winter, with repeated cycles of freezing and thawing, has taken its toll on the county’s road network and led to a big increase in the number of potholes being identified throughout Northumberland.

This damage has been further worsened by the effects of the ‘Beast from the East’ winter storm.

Today the council was awarded £1.85m as part of a £100 million national funding package to help repair potholes and other storm damage by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

It comes on top of an extra £930,000 Pothole Action Fund grant from the Department for Transport, while the authority has also agreed to plough in an extra £420,000 in contingency funding to improve the condition of the county’s road surfaces.

The current funding is being spent on increased road inspections, extra equipment and resources and a range of repair work, where possible using techniques that provide for a longer-term fix where the damaged patch of road surface is cut out and repaired.

Coun Glen Sanderson, cabinet member for Environment and Local Services, said: “Like many parts of the country we’ve had a prolonged spell of wintry weather which has caused a great deal of damage to our road network.

“I’m pleased we’ve been able to secure extra funding for pothole repairs as we’ve been calling on the government for extra support.

“We know how vital our roads are in connecting communities and allowing people to travel freely across our county. This latest money will allow us to continue our ongoing pothole repair programme across Northumberland.

“However, we will also continue to press our case that Northumberland has been hit particularly badly by the severe weather this winter.

“While this additional pothole funding is warmly welcomed - further support is required to ensure we can repair all of the wider and underlying damage that has been caused to our highway network and not just to repair individual potholes as they appear.”