SOLIHULL is set to receive nearly £300,000 to repair potholes and roads damaged by recent extreme weather.
Roads badly affected will benefit from a £100 million boost to help with repairs, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced.
Solihull will receive around £280,000 to mend miles of road in ‘poor condition’ and in need of essential maintenance.
The BBC Shared Data Unit research shows Solihull is among the 13 local authorities out of 151 which saw an increase in the proportion of its road network that is considered inadequate since 2009.
It is one of only five local authorities to register a two per cent point rise from 2009 to last year in the length of ‘A’ roads that need maintenance – five per cent (54km) of the total A road network in the borough.
For the length of minor (B and C) roads needing maintenance, it fared much better, with only 15.9km needing repair – just two per cent of the total network.
A Solihull council spokesperson said: “We carry out regular inspections of the road surfaces in line with national guidelines.
“We recently established a ‘find and fix’ gang to treat potholes as quickly as possible and from April, we will have additional funding to resurface and patch the worst areas of road.
“We have carried out extensive resurfacing works to prevent the formation of potholes in failing road surfaces.
“We have filled in 588 potholes this winter period.
“We inspect potholes that are reported within five working days and then determine the risk it poses to road users by considering depth, size and location on the highway.
“Potholes deemed to be dangerous are made safe during the appropriate and relevant time scales.”
About 22,990 miles across England, Wales and Scotland fell below expected standard according to research Department for Transport (DfT).
The DfT says the money will help repair almost two-million potholes as well as help protect the roads from any future severe weather.
Transport for the West Midlands has also been awarded funding for road condition monitoring innovations.
The latest cash injection comes after £75million in government funding was given to councils from the Pothole Action Fund this year.
And an additional £46million boost for highways authorities was announced just before Christmas.
The DfT fund is on top of the record £6billion the government is providing local authorities between 2015 and 2021 to maintain and improve their roads.
For more visit www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43407167
