EAST Hampshire MP Damian Hinds has welcomed new dedicated funding from the Government to fill nearly a million potholes across the UK, including £1,488,000 for Hampshire to fill an estimated 28,075 potholes across the county.

He said: “I’m really pleased that there is now dedicated funding being given for fixing potholes, so more action can be taken by councils to keep our local roads in better condition. Potholes remain a frustration for many local residents, particularly those regularly using our rural roads and lanes, and I hope this new allocation will make a real difference in the months to come.”

The funding has been made available to councils as part of the Government’s £250m Pothole Action Fund included in last month’s budget, which will see over four million potholes fixed by 2020/21.

A spokesman for Hampshire County Council said: “We will be spending around £50m this year on highways maintenance, and welcome the extra £1.48m from the Government’s Pothole Action Fund – the highest amount given to any South East local authority.

“As Hampshire’s Highways service, we take a long-term asset-management approach to road maintenance, which has proved an effective use of resources to extend the life of Hampshire’s roads – a successful strategy recognised by the Government.

“The extra money will help us to continue with this value-for-money approach, and will be used on a variety of treatments such as resurfacing, surface dressing, high velocity patching and haunch repairs.

“We will be looking at a number of innovative methods to make sure the fund is used to maximum benefit, including adopting a new ‘cluster’ approach to fixing potholes – using hot material mixed on site to save gangs from having to return to the depots; and putting early measures in place to ensure we can spend this money effectively on fixing potholes across the county.”