HARLOW MP Robert Halfon is calling for assurances that Harlow and the surrounding villages get a fair chunk of the £5.3m being given to Essex County Council to pay for pothole repairs across the county.

An announcement in yesterday's Budget revealed that the Government has doubled the amount of additional funding allocated to the highways authorities in England following the damage caused to roads during the severe winter weather.

Essex County Council has been allocated £5.3m of the £200m in additional funding which has been made possible, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has said, because of Department of Transport budget savings for 2010-11.

Mr Halfon said: "I have already been in contact with Norman Hume (highways and transportation cabinet member at Essex County Council) to stress the importance that Harlow gets its fair share of the additional Government money."

He added: "All motorists will be well aware of stretches of road in and around Harlow where potholes remain unrepaired following the bad weather we had last December.

"I welcome the news that this additional funding has been made available and it is vital that the much-needed repairs to our roads are carried out as soon as possible."