POTHOLES, bridges and general maintenance of roads throughout Darlington are set to be targeted thanks to £770,000 of additional funding from the government.

Darlington Borough Council has received the cash boost from the Department of Transport’s £420m pot to tackle the problem which was announced in last month’s budget.

The Council has already agreed a four year increase in spending to address the issue, with an additional £500,000 this year to improve the condition of the borough’s roads.

Works carried out across the borough this summer saw the council spend a total of £1m to resurface or micro-asphalt more than 100 roads and residential streets – an increase of eight times the amount of work usually delivered in the summer programme.

However, the additional Government money comes with a tight use-by date of March 31 next year.

Councillor Nick Wallis, cabinet member for leisure and local environment, said: “The additional funding package from Central Government is as welcome as it is overdue – although I have to question the deadline of March 31 to get it all spent.

“Everyone knows winter is not the best time to repair roads. If we have a winter like this year, when the worst of the snow fell in March, there will be real challenges to be able to use this funding to its best.

“We’ve been asking for years for the Department for Transport to recognise the scale of what needs to be done to improve roads and start to tackle years of underinvestment by Central Government. To offer substantial funding while tying one hand behind our backs seems rather pointless.

“In Darlington, we decided to provide additional maintenance funding over a longer term to allow sensible planning and investment – this funding is on top of what was already earmarked – and we’ve seen a summer of activity across the borough which is already showing real results.”

A council survey of the road network carried out in recent weeks has shown an improvement in the condition of the roads in Darlington, with the number of roads in need of attention dropping from 22 per cent to 16 per cent. However, the council recognises there is more to be done and investment is being focused to improve road condition.

The additional Government funding will be used to boost the improvement seen this year and continue to tackle roads in poor condition, or step in to protect surfaces before they deteriorate, as seen in the micro-asphalt programme.