CHESHIRE East Council will get more than one million pounds to tackle potholes – with more funding on way.

The Government has announced that Cheshire East’s share of the £103.5m pot to deal with the problem is £1.25m.

On top of this, Chancellor George Osborne announced in last week’s Budget that another £200m will be provided for pothole repairs over the financial years 2014-16.

Cheshire East Council’s share of a similar amount over 2013-15 was £2.2m.

Councillor David Topping, cabinet member in charge of environment, said: “This is welcome news that will give us extra resources to commit to tackling potholes and improving our roads.

“Cheshire East continues to invest in its highways and had already set aside around £1.5m to ensure that the network is kept in a safe and serviceable condition through the year for our residents and visitors.

“We expect to have to repair around 27,000 potholes per year but, as our investment in improving the highways continues, this number should fall.

“In addition, the number of customer-reported potholes is down from a peak of 3,640 in Jan 2013, to around 782 in Jan 2014, and also similarly we have seen a significant drop in the number of claims received – down from 270 in January 2013, to just 34 in January 2014.

“However, there is no room for complacency and we will continue to monitor the roads and prioritise works accordingly."

The council currently receives around 400 reports of potholes or defects a week.

To report a pothole or fault on a road, use the online service via the Council’s website at: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk Alternatively, ring the highways team on 0300 123 5020.