�2 million extra to repair Devon's roads

AN additional �2 million is being provided by Devon County Council to deal with immediate repairs needed on the county s roads and pavements following the severe winter weather.

AN additional �2 million is being provided by Devon County Council to deal with immediate repairs needed on the county's roads and pavements following the severe winter weather.

The County Council Executive today (Thursday 23 April) agreed to the cash injection to deal with potholes and other safety defects on Devon's roads. A winter of extreme flooding, snow and colder temperatures than the 30 year average has left an estimated damage bill of around �11million.

More than �3million of repairs have been carried out on some of the immediate damage, and that is on top of �700,000 on additional salting, but a further �2 million is also needed to prevent increased costs in future.

Formal submissions for funding to help with this extra expense will shortly be issued to Government by the County Council under Bellwin Rules and a Department for Transport scheme relating to exceptional weather events, but there is no guarantee of receiving financial help.

Devon County Council Leader Brian Greenslade said: "It's not just about money for road repairs as the money will also be spent on pavements as well. We're trying to get more resources on top of what we're doing ourselves by applying to the Government under Bellwin Rules. We have actually increased highway spending by 7% per annum over the past two years, and we are looking at a 9.5% increase this year with this additional funding, so we are giving it priority."

Councillor Margaret Rogers, Devon County Council Executive Member for Environment, said: "Potholes will appear because the fabric of the road has been damaged by the severe weather. I think we should welcome the fact that this County Council is trying to deal with the problem and I would like to pay tribute to the enormous effort our staff have made during the winter and in dealing with this."

Devon has the largest road network of any local highway authority with 12,831km - or almost 8,000 miles.