YOUR county needs you is the message from Devon County Council as it calls on people to help in dealing with potholes on Devon's roads.

'YOUR county needs you' is the message from Devon County Council as it calls on people to help in dealing with potholes on Devon's roads.

The county council wants residents in Devon to play a part in helping its highways teams to identify areas that are in need of emergency repairs.

Potholes and safety defects on the county's roads can be reported online at www.devon.gov.uk or by calling the My Devon Customer Service Centre on 0845 155 1004.

The county council has spent the past few months analysing safety inspections, road condition surveys and reports from the public to identify 80 miles of roads which will be now be repaired as part of a �2million programme.

Reports of safety defects from members of the public have been crucial in the assessment process and have helped target some of the essential work which will be carried out over the coming months.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highways and transportation, says that everyone in the county can act as the eyes and ears of the Council.

He said: "Our highways teams do a fine job and are able to find safety defects on our roads through their regular inspections, but it's a thankless task. As they can't be everywhere at once, there will be occasions when we aren't aware of a pothole, and that's when we need it brought to our attention. If it's reported to us and it requires an emergency repair, we can fix it.

"If every resident in the county worked together with us on this we would basically have 750,000 inspectors reporting faults on our road. We want people to help us to help improve Devon's roads.

"While Devon County Council is doing all it can, exceptional weather, be it flooding or freezing, can affect the condition of the road surface and drivers should always take extra care.