CUMBRIA is set to get £12million for road repairs from the £53million given to the north west by the government.

The Department for Transport has revealed how the £420 million announced in the Budget will be spent, and it brings the total funds for North West roads for this year up to £176 million.

Next year (2019-2020), the North West will get more than £139 million 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 - £15 billion between 2015 and 2020 and a further £28.8 billion to 2025. Plus an immediate extra £420 million for potholes and local road maintenance just this year.

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

Since 2015, roads in the North West have benefitted from £1.5 billion of investment, including the smart motorway schemes of the M6, M60 and M62 and replacing the A556 between Knutsford and Bowden, which will improve access to Manchester from the south.

Greater Manchester also received a £69.5 million boost from the Budget, bringing its Transforming Cities Fund total to £312.5 million. This fund is designed to improve public transport links to jobs. The authority has decided to invest in better cycling and tram links across the city.