SENIOR councillors are set to approve a £17.5million scheme to tackle Blackburn with Darwen’s pothole nightmare after a warning that not doing so will fuel a soaring bill from motorists with damaged cars.

The authority’s executive board on Thursday will authorise borrowing £6.5 million to finance the four-year project to resurface main routes and other rapidly deteriorating roads.

By 2017, the 100-mile highway repair backlog should have been eradicated making the 350-mile network fit for another 20 years.

An average of 1,000 ‘safety risk’ potholes are repaired each month at a cost of £50,000, leaving hundreds untreated. Engineers believe the programme will improve life for motorists, cyclists and bus passengers and reduce car repair bills and save cash on future repairs, dramatically reducing the number of potholes needing filling.

They tell the senior councillors: “If no action is taken now the road condition will continue to deteriorate annually and insurance claims will continue to rise. The result of not implementing this project would be that pothole numbers would increase and consequently not be repaired within the set timescales. This would result in increased claims which would increase the amount set aside for insurance provisions meaning their would be even less money to fund highway works.”

Initially urgent repairs will be carried out on Whalley Old Road and Whalley New Road this summer.

Council leader Kate Hollern said: “This is a real example of an ‘Invest to Save’ scheme where spending money now will save it in the future.” The borough has allocated £10 million for the project on top of £7.5 million it would normally spend on highway repairs over the four years.

Coun Hollern added: “Overall, this programme will reduce the amount the borough spends on filling potholes and highway maintenance.”