Emergency aid wanted for council road repairs

Local authorities are already dipping into reserves to carry out urgent roadworks following the coldest weather for 30 years.

North Yorkshire estimates the cost of repairs will run into several million pounds, Leeds puts the costs at 500,000 and Sheffield at 300,000-500,000.

In Barnsley officials put repair bills at 200,000 but say they will join forces with other South Yorkshire councils to lobby the Government to recover their additional costs through the Bellwin scheme which covers emergencies.

Wakefield Council said it would also apply and North Yorkshire, which has the largest network of roads in the UK, said it would also approach the Government. A total of 1m had already been earmarked from reserves for immediate works in the county.

Other councils including East Riding and Hull said decisions would be taken once roads had been surveyed.

Authority chiefs in Leeds are also considering making a Bellwin scheme application.

Council leader Andrew Carter said urgent repairs were under way in the city.

"We are not through the winter yet, and will probably have a lot more cold weather, which will make the situation worse. Clearly we cannot allow the situation to deteriorate," he said.

A Government spokesman last night said central funding for roads had been more than trebled in the last decade.

A Department of Transport emergency funding scheme allowed councils to submit a claim for funding towards repairs costs of damage caused by an exceptional event. Bellwin had not been activated by the cold weather and no councils had so far applied.