Councils will ‘get on’ with fixing Dorset’s ‘broken roads’
£6.7 million will be given to Dorset Council and a further £2 million to BCP
Dorset and BCP Council will receive upwards of £8 million to fix pothole-plagued roads across the county.
It comes as the prime minister recognised damaged roads "can risk lives and cost families thousands of pounds on repairs".
Sir Keir Starmer said: “We're determined to put more money back into the pockets of hardworking people and improve living standards.
"That's why we're giving councils funding to repair our roads and get Britain moving again - with a clear expectation that they get on with the job."
According to the RAC, drivers see an average of six potholes per mile on roads in England and Wales, while the AA found tackling the issue is a priority for 96% of motorists.
Mark Davison from the Dorset Motorist group told us: “It's quite clear that we're not having the road maintenance, both locally and nationally, that the motorists deserve.
“You're constantly looking at the state of the road in front of you so you can avoid potholes and the problem with that is you end up slaloming down the road instead of being a safe driver.”
The Department for Transport has warned to "spend the money wisely" and report back how the money was spent.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "It's up to councils how they use the money. They can fill potholes, they can resurface roads, they can improve pavements, they can repair bridges."
A quarter of the increased funding will be held back until authorities have "shown that they are delivering", the DfT added.
AA president Edmund King urges councils to focus on “permanent and innovative repairs” rather than adopting “a ‘patch and run' approach".
Mark Davison said: “The problem is when they actually repair the roads, quite frankly, they don't do a good job and this is how potholes start.
“Contractors should be forced to come back six months later to make sure the job is done properly and if it isn’t, they need to do it again, and they should have to pay a big fine because they will have to close the road again.”
The Transport Secretary has since promised a “crackdown” on disruptive street works to further ease journeys, with plans to double fines for utility companies which fail to comply with rules.
Ms Alexander said: "We've had a decade of underinvestment and a decade of decline really, so it's imperative that we take action."