AN ‘early Christmas present’ is how Devon County Council (DCC) has described its more than £80million share of Government investment for road repairs.

The funding of £83,640,000 for Devon is the largest share of a record £1.6 billion investment announced by the Government

An extensive repair programme using this latest funding will be compiled over the next couple of months to help tackle the highway maintenance backlog on Devon’s 8,000 mile road network, which is currently in excess of £200 million, DCC has said.

The funding will be used to prioritise extensive surfacing, patching and other preventative maintenance, as well as drainage improvements, the Mid-Devon Advertiser understands.

‘We’ve already embarked on a recovery programme of patching and surfacing through our own £12 million investment earlier this year’ a spokesperson for DCC said.

‘The benefit from that work is already being felt and since April, more than 55,000 square metres of road have been patched at around 790 sites across the county.

‘These repairs have targeted sections of road which are deteriorating, patching areas before potholes form’ the spokesperson added.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: ‘This announcement from the Government is an excellent early Christmas present and it’s great news for everyone in Devon.

‘This is a significant increase in funding for our roads and, following on from the additional £12 million Devon County Council invested in this current financial year, it will help us continue at pace with our efforts to tackle the repair backlog on our roads and protect the travelling public.

‘We have to remember that Devon has the biggest road network of any authority in the country, and our highways maintenance backlog is increasing by £15 million a year.

‘Unfortunately that means this money still won’t be enough to make the condition of our roads anywhere near perfect, but it is more in line with the kind of funding we need consistently to stop the decline and help make a difference in getting our road network up to scratch.’