JUST over £5million will be invested in county roads this winter.

Jesse Norman, MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, made the announcement this week in his role as the Roads Minister for the Government.

The West Midlands received £43,523,000 to maintain roads this winter and of this £5,108,000 was given to Herefordshire.

Mr Noman said: “Potholes are a huge problem for all road users, and too often we see issues occurring at the same place time after time.

“That is why the Government is investing more in improving our roads than at any time before - £15 billion between 2015 and 2020 and a further £28.8 billion to 2025. Plus an immediate extra £420 million for potholes and local road maintenance just this year.

“The West Midlands will be getting an extra £43 million this winter to keep its roads in good condition to keep drivers and cyclists safe.”

In the next financial year (2019-2020), the West Midlands will get £110 million from the Local Highways Maintenance and Integrated Transport Block funds, which will go towards repairing roads and investing in bus priority or walking and cycling schemes.

Staffordshire received the largest chunk of the money of £8,899,000, with Shropshire receiving £7,313,000.

Worcestershire received £6,652,000 and Warwickshire got £5,741,000.

Telford and Wrekin were given £1,530,000 and Stoke-on-Trent £1,055,000.

Councillor Barry Durkin, Herefordshire Council cabinet member for transport and regulatory services, said: “We are delighted with this additional investment from the Department for Transport, which will help us to ensure that Herefordshire continues to have the best highways network possible for our motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

“Good roads are vital to ensure the continued growth and strengthening of Herefordshire’s economy, and tackling defects on our roads leads to improvements in journey time, quality and safety, for all road users. We also continue to improve the condition of our highways with planned maintenance, reducing the need for reactive repairs, which minimises disruption and leads to higher quality and better value throughout the full life of the roads.”