DAMAGED roads in Middlewich could soon be repaired if Cheshire East Council is successful in its lobby for Government funding.

Clr Rod Menlove, cabinet member in charge of environmental services, praised the work of the council’s emergency teams during the recent bad weather but explained that it had left behind roads that had been ‘literally washed away’.

The authority has now appealed to the highest level for cash to tackle the issue.

“The borough’s urban and rural roads have suffered three consecutive harsh winters and potholes are appearing at a rate faster than can be filled,” said Clr Menlove.

“We estimate that by the end of the year, the borough will have recorded more than 30,000 potholes on the network and have had to divert vital resources from other parts of the Highway Budget to make sure the roads remain safe for all road users.

“Each pothole repair costs an average £50.

“That represents a lot of money and manpower and we should not be expected to cope with this alone.”

He added: “Let me assure residents that our leader Clr Michael Jones and I will be knocking on the door of Government very loudly with a good business case as to why we need money to make our roads safe and passable.

“While we have a statutory duty to repair our roads , we also have a statutory duty to make sure that we are properly funded from central Government for this purpose.

“This will be my personal challenge before we move ahead into the next winter.”

In June, Middlewich Mayor Simon McGrory branded the town’s roads as the ‘worst in the borough’.

He pinpointed problems along the A54 and A533, dropped gullies in Lewin Steet, broken roads outside Dave's Angling Shop and issues in Brooks Lane.

And in the same month, Cheshire East Labour Group claimed that the majority of roads scheduled for repair were in Tory-controlled wards.