County roads being fixed

POTHOLES caused by recent freezing temperatures are being fixed by county highways chiefs from next week.

POTHOLES caused by recent freezing temperatures are being fixed by county highways chiefs from next week.

Devon County Council has special teams looking for defects on as much of the county's 8,000 mile road network as possible.

Emergency repairs will be carried out as they find them, starting with the busier main roads.

That will make the network as safe as possible and provide Devon with a detailed picture of how much damage has been caused by the recent cold weather.

As the big freeze was so prolonged, it is expected that the estimated repair bill will top last year, which was around �11 million over and above that of a normal winter.

In sub-zero temperatures, road surfaces become brittle and can crack while chippings can loosen and potholes are formed.

The council has fixed almost 40,000 potholes already this financial year - double the usual amount - following last winter's severe weather, which was colder than the 30 year average.

And council leader John Hart this week led a delegation to lobby the Government for more cash to fix the roads.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for transport, said: "...as the snow and ice disappears, we are seeing potholes forming on our roads which are going to be a problem.

"We will now be starting a rapid response programme to get to grips with the potholes...

"We're (conducting)...inspections to find and fix defects as quickly as we can, which will give us a better idea of how widespread the damage is.