Millions of pounds will be spent fixing main road carriageway defects across Essex.

Essex County Council (ECC) is spending a total of £17.5m on highways maintenance after injecting a further £5.6m into the budget on top of the recent allocation of £4.4m from the Government and the £7.5m announced by ECC earlier in the year.

The funding will enable the authority to target repairs on the worst 100 urban local roads in Essex, and the 50 worst roads in each Essex district.

Cabinet member for highways, Councillor Rodney Bass, said: “We are more than doubling the normal number of maintenance crews so that we can bring the county’s roads back up to the standard our residents expect.”

Priority 1 and 2 roads will be allocated £3.5m; rural local roads £3m; kerbing and drains defects on urban local roads £4.5m; and £1m each for white lining, general repairs and urban footways.

This totals £14m, leaving £3.5m still to be allocated, or rolled into early 2015/16 to mend the roads following any severe weather.