AN extra £53m for repairs has been allocated for roads in the North West - but Cumbria only has less than six months to spend its slice of £12m.

In an announcement this week, the Department for Transport has revealed how the £420 million announced in the Budget will be spent, bringing the total funds for North West roads for this year up to £176m.

Next year (2019-2020), the North West will get more than £139m from the Local Highways Maintenance and Integrated Transport Block funds, which will go towards repairing roads and investing in small safety, bus priority or walking and cycling schemes.

Roads Minister Jesse Noman said: “Potholes are a huge problem for all road users, and too often we see issues occurring at the same place time after time.

“That is why the Government is investing more in improving our roads than at any time before - £15bn between 2015 and 2020 and a further £28.8bn to 2025. Plus an immediate extra £420m for potholes and local road maintenance this year.

“The North West will be getting an extra £53m this winter to keep its roads in good condition to keep drivers and cyclists safe.”

Despite the windfall, Cumbria County Council has concerns with less than six months to spend it.

A spokesman said: “Whilst news of an additional £12m for Cumbria’s roads is welcome, it is important to understand that government has insisted this money be spent before the end of March.

“The winter period in Cumbria tends to offer more challenging conditions than further south, as cold and wet conditions are not the best for repairing roads.

“At this stage we’re assessing where the money will be spent, this is dependent on the availability of contractors, the status and progress of ongoing planned works, prioritisation of scheduled works and weather conditions.

“The money will be used on road surfacing schemes, including potholes and ongoing and new bridge repair works.

“The extent and schedule of works covered by this additional funding will be decided in due course.”