PM gives £5m to fill Lancashire’s road potholes

The cash comes on top of the £2.2m the Government gave the Red Rose county in March to tackle damage caused by winter weather.

And the Labour politician at County Hall in charge of roads and transport admitted he was “pleased” with the news – just three months after he slammed Westminster for starving the authority of money for road repairs.

County Councillor John Fillis said: “We have been calling on the Government for this extra funding since last March and I am pleased to see that they have finally listened to what we have been saying.

“There is still a disproportionate amount of funding being spent in the South compared to the North where it’s most needed. It now appears that we will be able to get on with the job of repairing our highways to the standard the people of Lancashire deserve.”

In March Coun Fillis said £2.2m was “too little, too late” for a county road network peppered with potholes.

But David Cameron said today: “Investing in our roads is a key part of our long term economic plan. We have already made an historic investment in Britain’s road network, including £18.5m set aside for road maintenance in Lancashire in this year alone. And today we are announcing nearly £5m to help the area to rid its roads of the pain of potholes.

“Helping fill in potholes is helping hardworking families. That is why we are giving this extra money which could help fix around 92, 000 potholes in the area – making a real difference to journeys for businesses, commuters and families in Lancashire.

“Lancashire has shown it is one of the leading areas in the country in its determination to beat potholes.”

The Government has set a target of March 2015 for the work to be completed.