Thirty-two local authorities have been awarded a share of £93m to repair roads and bridges, Roads Minister Baroness Vere has announced.

More than £4m will go towards critical repairs to New Elvet Bridge in Durham, while £3.7m will help refurbish several steel bridges around Northumberland.

A separate £900,000 fund will be used to support research towards new ways of future proofing roads.

One of the beneficiaries is a project to benefit the development of an artificial intelligence-powered app to detect potholes in real-time, using mobile phone sensors which measure when cyclists ride over them or swerve to avoid them.

It is hoped this will help local authorities take quicker action to fill them.

Ms Vere said: “There is nothing more frustrating than a journey delayed by poor road conditions, and this multimillion-pound boost will help improve connectivity across the country.

“This investment will not only help local areas to target current pinch points on their roads, but will also harness our world-leading research and innovation capabilities to future proof the next generation of journeys.”

The announcement is part of more than £6.6bn of Government investment between 2015 and 2021 to improve local roads.