The Hertfordshire County Council leader is calling for a fairer slice of funding to fix our crumbling roads - as national research shows London has the money to invest three times the amount compared to counties.

Figures produced by the County Councils Network (CCN) this week showed 36 shire counties were able to spend on average £20,885 per mile on road repairs, pothole filling, and building new junctions and roads last year.

By contrast, London councils were able to spend on average £62,350 per mile.

Now, leaders of England’s county authorities are calling for a fair share of the government’s new £2bn pothole fund and a long-term commitment to ‘level up’ investment.

Cllr David Williams, leader of Hertfordshire County Council, who is also CCN chairman, said: "This analysis shows that county motorists are clearly the poor relation to drivers in London and other cities areas when it comes to how much gets spent on fixing potholes and improving the local road network.

"The government’s £2bn pothole fund and commitment to level up infrastructure are therefore extremely welcome. These findings show that it is imperative our areas receive a fair share of the government’s new fund, in proportion to the number of miles we are responsible for."

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Hertfordshire Liberal Democrat leader, and spokesman for CCN transport and infrastructure, added: "Today’s analysis shows that there are huge disparities in what the regions receive for roads, pothole filling, and anti-congestion measures compared to London and the major cities.

"With over 11,000 miles in county areas identified as requiring repairs, the government should back up its rhetoric in ‘levelling up’ the country and distribute a fairer share of funding for roads in rural areas in its upcoming funding announcements."

Hertfordshire County Council is investing an extra £37m over the next five years resurfacing the county’s unclassified roads – that’s the smaller roads where most people live and work.

Since work began in October 2018, an extra 77 miles of Hertfordshire’s roads - or 307 streets - have been given a new surface.

That’s on top of the normal highways resurfacing programme.

Meanwhile, research has revealed Hertfordshire drivers have put in some of the most compensation claims in England for pothole damages.

The council received 2,190 claims between January 2018 and October 2019. The council paid out almost £160,000 in compensation during this time period.

Read more: Pothole claims in Herts one of highest in England