COUNCILLORS have welcomed news that Craven and North Yorkshire will benefit from Government cash to fix road potholes.

More than £5m has been released to the county by Whitehall to deal with the problem, and this will be matched by £5m from savings by North Yorkshire County Council.

It is part of £168m given out across England. Critics have claimed potholes have increased dramatically in the last few years, especially on minor roads, as Government cuts meant less cash was spent on highways maintenance..

Cyclists and motorcyclists in particular have said that potholes have been especially dangerous to them.

County Councillor Gareth Dadd, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Highways, said the news was "very welcome."

He added: "We have lobbied Government for more funding for our highways network and we will continue to lobby; maintaining the condition of our roads is one of our top priorities for the benefit of both residents and for the future of the county’s economic growth.

"We are releasing £5 million from our advance savings to match this £5.176m from Government, so that we can undertake some preventative work as well and tackle more of the rural network. This funding will not be sufficient to repair all of our roads; we have approximately 6,000 miles of road, one of the largest networks in the country, and we estimate we would need about £330m for the whole job; but we are realistic and this funding will make a difference."