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A new £7.5 million Pothole Emergency Fund has been announced to accelerate road repairs across Essex following the declaration of a Pothole Emergency by the county council’s new administration at its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 28 May.

The funding has been introduced in response to residents’ concerns about the condition of local roads. It forms part of a wider commitment to improve the way highway defects are identified and repaired across the county.

Under the plans, the number of dedicated pothole repair crews operating in Essex will increase from nine to 12. Council leaders said this will allow every district to have its own repair team, aiming to improve coverage, consistency and response times.

The council also plans to expand repairs to include potholes currently classified as non-urgent. These defects, while not considered dangerous under existing criteria, can still affect day-to-day journeys. The authority has set a target of repairing such potholes within 90 days.

Additional investment will be made in specialist repair equipment, including Roadmender and Jetpatcher machinery. The council said the increased use of these systems will help deliver repairs more quickly and at a lower cost than some traditional methods.

According to the council, the measures are intended to increase the number of potholes repaired each year while reducing waiting times for motorists and other road users.

We expect to announce further details on how the programme will be rolled out across Essex as the new arrangements are implemented.

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