EXMOUTH is to benefit from a share of a �2 million programme of road repairs being carried out by the county council.

EXMOUTH is to benefit from a share of a �2 million programme of road repairs being carried out by the county council.

Devon County Council has pledged that highway maintenance is one of its priorities and it is embarking on the major capital investment to maintain the county's highway network - targeting roads where intervention now can protect them from further deterioration.

Almost �763,000 is being spent in east and mid Devon, and Exeter - and Exmouth, Feniton and Honiton are among the areas where 34 roads are set to benefit.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council member for highways and transportation, said: "This �2million of funding is not a quick fix, and it won't enable us to repair all of the roads across the county that may need some attention. It's not as simple as just throwing extra money at this problem and we have made sure we have taken time to assess the county's roads before making any fundamental decisions.

"We are targeting over 80 miles of Devon's extensive highway network, and by intervening now, this work will extend the life of these roads for up to another ten years.

"These may not necessarily be the worst roads in Devon, but by getting them into a fit state for surface dressing we can cover a wider area and repair more roads than if we had just concentrated on a few."

The capital funding was allocated following the effect of last winter, which left Devon with an estimated repair bill of around �8 million over and above that of a normal winter.

The county council's highway engineers have spent the past few months analysing safety inspections, road condition surveys and reports from the public to identify which roads would benefit most from a share of the funding.

The repair work will be undertaken in rural areas this autumn to prepare minor lanes for surface dressing next summer. Residential streets in large urban areas will also receive a micro-asphalt surfacing treatment.

Devon has identified 88 schemes throughout the county, covering more than 80 miles of road for an extensive programme of patching ahead of them being resurfaced in 2010.