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Councils given £100m for potholes
2011-02-23 01:45:37
23 February 2011 Last updated at 10:27 Share this page Delicious Digg Facebook reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Email Print Potholes: Councils get extra £100m to fix winter damage By Richard Scott Transport correspondent, BBC News Councils face a similar task to the two million potholes dealt with last year Continue reading the main story Related Stories Potholes in Suffolk: The Road Ahead Claims against Roads Service rise £8m extra to pay big freeze bills
The government is giving local authorities in England an extra £100m to repair potholes caused by last year's freezing conditions.
Last December was the coldest on record and the conditions led to damage on many road surfaces.
Councils have welcomed the move, saying they received a similar amount last year.
But there are concerns that the overall road maintenance budget is being cut by more than £160m over four years.
'Journeys ruined'In cold weather, water which seeps into cracks in roads can freeze, expanding and breaking up the tarmac still further.
Vehicles travelling over the surface add to the problem. Over the past year councils have filled in more than two million potholes following the severe weather in the winter of 2009-10, and they now face a similar task this year.
The government says that despite the tough financial position, it is giving councils an extra £100m to deal with the problem - the same amount as last year.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "It's set at the maximum amount that we can afford to deliver to local authorities during a period of public spending constraint to manage their road maintenance.
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