Extra £2m to fix 'appalling' Bracknell potholes

Councillors said Bracknell's roads were in an "appalling state"

An extra £2m could be spent on fixing pothole-plagued roads next year after warnings they are worsening at an "accelerating rate".

Roads in Bracknell, Berkshire, are in an "appalling state", according to councillors from Bracknell Forest Council.

Proposals backed by council leaders say £2m extra should be put towards fixing roads, bringing the total amount to be spent annually to £3,730,000 - funded in part by redistributed government money from the abandoned HS2 project.

Councillor Guy Gillbe said roads were "one of the top issues" for residents and that he was "very proud" of the extra funding.

Increasing costs and "extreme" weather conditions have contributed to worsening roads, according to the council.

The announcement comes after councillors wrote to Bracknell's Conservative MP James Sunderland calling for more government funding to fix potholes.

They said roads in Bracknell Forest "are in an appalling state of repair, falling far short of the standards residents and local businesses" expect.

Mr Sunderland replied that the government had said £8bn intended for HS2 would be distributed among councils for roads, saying he looked forward "to securing some of that for Bracknell".

Stuart McKellar, the council’s senior official responsible for finance, suggested Bracknell had received about £250,000 of the funding.

While he welcomed the extra government money, he said it was "small-scale" in comparison to the increased amount the council proposes to spend.