A NORTH-East authority spent £1m in a week trying to keep County Durham moving during the so-called Beast from the East.

Durham County Council gritters used around 10,000 tonnes of salt in one week as they tried to keep the road network clear.

The long winter has seen more than 61,500 tonnes of salt used altogether – more than double the amount used last year – and resulted in an overspend of £1.6m of the council’s winter maintenance budget.

Members of Durham County Council heard there were 70 gritters operating alongside farmers contracted by the authority to clear routes, with an additional 256 runs made through the worst week of weather.

Council leader councillor Simon Henig said: “I would like to thank all our hardworking staff for their tremendous efforts through what has been a very difficult winter.”

Announcing an extra £700,000 for next year’s budget for road maintenance, he added: “As a consequence of the winter weather, the road network has taken a battering.”

It will be added to the council's £1.3m share of a national “pothole” fund.

It means the council is putting a total of £5.7m towards road repairs, which along with government funding means there will be £17m to spend in County Durham.

At a meeting of the authority yesterday, members approved a motion calling for additional government funding to address the damage caused, which described the £1.3m as “inadequate”.

The motion was an amended version of one put forward by cllr Mark Wilkes, who had also called for a review of the winter maintenance programme, a review of the system used to allocate grit bins and for the council’s cabinet to increase its highways budget.

He said: “There’s a £200m backlog. Our side roads are in a far worse condition than the national average and our residents see it every day.

"The reason we put in the amendment is we need to act now. The roads are in a terrible state.”

He added: “We need to put extra funding in. It’s the cabinet that is responsible for making this investment and they need to put more money in because we are going backwards.”

The council repaired more than 15,500 between January and March this year, up 39 per cent from the year before.

Cllr Craig Martin added: “I would like to challenge the council’s record on maintaining roads. Classified A and B roads are above standard but a fifth of unclassified roads are in urgent need of repair.

“The council needs to do something about this.

“We may have less money than national government but it has to be done.”

As well as thanking staff for their work to keep services running, the approved motion says the council believes the £1.3m is “inadequate” to address the highways maintenance backlog and damage caused by severe weather.

Cllr Richard Bell, leader of the Conservative group, said: “£1.3m may not be enough but it’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.”