NEARLY £1m-worth of work has been carried out to improve roads and footpaths across Darlington.

The money has been spent this year by the borough council on maintenance, road safety and bridges.

Among the schemes completed are £150,000 of road and footpath improvements in Longfield Road.

Similar projects are in progress in Grange Road at a cost of £130,000 and in West Auckland Road, costing £150,000.

On a smaller scale, flooding problems have been addressed at a number of locations across the borough, including Whessoe Road and Woodland Road.

Among the safety schemes are traffic calming measures in Newton Lane and Coombe Drive, and work to create dropped kerbs and tactile pavements throughout the area.

Work has also been carried out on Oxneyfield Bridge, on the A167, at a cost of £180,000.

There are plans to spend more money in the coming months on a variety of projects, including traffic calming in Middleton St George and Firthmoor.

There will also be repairs on the A167 through Beaumont Hill, and on Haughton Road and Yarm Road.

Nick Wallis, council cabinet member for highways, said: "The council is committed to improving the roads and pavements in the borough, to make it easier and safer for people to get around, either in a car, public transport, by bike or on foot."

Later this year, the council will decide where an extra £2.5m of work on the town's streets and pavements will take place.

The money, which is in addition to the normal maintenance budget, will be used to deal with minor problems identified by people who responded to a survey sent to every home in the borough.