Funding of £734m available for road repairs in south-east England

A total of £734m has been allocated to repair roads in south-east England.

The funding forms part of a nationwide plan to resurface more than 5,000 roads over the next 11 years, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said.

Local highway authorities in Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex and Hampshire will identify roads most need of repair.

A garage owner in Mayfield, East Sussex, said car damage due to potholes was at its worst in 50 years.

Each local highway authority will receive £23.4m this financial year, followed by a further £23.4m in 2024/25.

The rest of the funding, which forms part of a £8.3bn boost by the government to repair roads across the UK, will be allocated through to 2034.

Mr Harper said the money had been redirected from the HS2 funding.

"Most people travel by road and potholes can cause misery for motorists, from expensive vehicle repairs to bumpy, slow, and dangerous journeys," he said.

"Today's biggest ever funding uplift for local road improvements is a victory for all road users, who will enjoy smoother, faster and safer trips."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the investment would "pave the road for better and safer journeys for millions of people across the country, and put an end to the blight of nuisance potholes".

Matt Furniss, cabinet member for highways, transport and economic growth at Surrey County Council, said there had been an "unprecedented increase" in the number of potholes last winter.

Wayne Brockhurst, who owns GW Car and Commercials Ltd garage in Mayfield, said potholes can cause "nasty cuts" to tyres.

"I've been in the trade for 50 years, and certainly the last five years, we've seen the most damage," he said. "And most of it down to the potholes."

Simon Leney, vice chairman of Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council in East Sussex, said he was concerned about a number of large potholes on the junction of the A265 and A267.

"This road carries something like 20,000 plus vehicle movements a day, a combination of cars and lorries," he said.

"This road wasn't designed for vehicles of that size and that volume."

According to the RAC, well-maintained road surfaces could save motorists up to £440 each in vehicle repairs from pothole damage.

RAC head of policy, Simon Williams, said: "Drivers' biggest bugbear of all is the poor condition of local roads, so the fact the government has found a significant additional pot of revenue should give councils the certainty of funding they need to plan proper long-term road maintenance, something we have been calling for many years."

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