ESSEX County Council has pledged an extra £3million for highway maintenance as it launches its spring programme to repair potholes.

The extra cash comes in addition to the further £9m announced in February as part of the council budget spending.

The extra package of investment follows data that shows Essex County Council has been forced to pay more than £700,000 in pothole injury and damage claims from more than 3,000 claims submitted to the council since the start of 2021.

Potholes on roads across Essex have been a hot top of debate over recent months and was a key issue contested by political groups leading to the local elections on May 4.

Data released through a Freedom of Information request showed more than 3,000 claims had been submitted to the council, resulting in successful payouts coming to a total of £718,288.19.

More than 26,000 potholes have been reported to Essex County Council between 2020/21 and 2021/22, according to figures from the Liberal Democrats.

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said that all compensation claims are investigated fully, and damages paid if the council has been liable. The council has added that the majority of claims are successfully defended..

Essex Highways has now launched its 2023/24 programme to upgrade the condition of many roads across the county. This will repair some of the damage caused by the cold and wet winter conditions.

Essex Highways’ budget for maintaining and repairing the carriageway across Essex over the next year is over £35m. This does not include the £9m additional investment announced in February and the £3m today.

Of the £9m, £3.46mhas been allocated for road resurfacing, £4m for two member led footways schemes, where members will prioritise funding across their districts and £1.54m for carriageway patching.

An extra £1.2m has also been allocated to Local Highway Panels for resurfacing. Additional crews have also been put in place to support Essex Highways teams deliver maintenance and repairs across Essex.

Cllr Lee Scott, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, said: “The additional investment allocated to fixing Essex’s roads is a clear commitment from Essex County Council to ensuring damage caused by the winter is repaired and roads are maintained.

“It’s exciting the resurfacing programme is now underway and is being supported by additional crews secured to help with the volume of work required to repair roads the width and breadth of the county and increase the visibility of the service as these repairs are carried out.”

Announcing extra money for highways, leader of Essex County Council, Councillor Kevin Bentley said: “We are also aware of the day to day concerns of residents.

“We know that highways is a major issue for many and like any other councils we have significant financial challenges. Including the rising cost of not only materialsto repair roads, but also vital services to protect the elderly and vulnerable.”

In December 2022 the council said filling potholes is not a priority while the cost of living crisis is hitting the authority admitting it was running a policy of “managed decline” on its roads.

Even at current levels Essex Highways are investing less than half the annual amount required just to ‘stay still’, exacerbated even more by inflationary pressures. The value of annual deterioration, is modelled at £77.7m per year across Essex.