Extra £1.5m to fill Leicestershire road potholes

An extra £1.5m is to be spent repairing potholes in Leicestershire following this winter's big freeze, the county council has announced.

During the past three months about 750 potholes were mended but the council expects that number to double as the roads warm up after the icy snap.

Motorists and residents are encouraged to report any they spot.

After last winter the council fixed more than 5,300 potholes across the county.

'Unprecedented' conditions

Potholes form as water enters cracks in the road surface.

As the water expands when it freezes it forces cracks to open up which then breaks into a pothole.

Lesley Pendleton, county council cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "The condition of Leicestershire's roads is one of the highest in the country but clearly, no highway network is immune from the effects of the recent prolonged subzero temperatures.

"These were unprecedented wintry conditions and I'm pleased we've been able to respond by proposing to spend an extra £1.5m fixing the potholes generated."