New figures showing that nine out of 10 potholes across the Lancashire County Council road network are being fixed within strict time limits have been hailed by the authority's bosses as progress.

The council is responsible for around 4,600 miles of roads across 12 districts, including the Ribble Valley, Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.

Wear and tear from heavy vehicles, 38,000 sets of work by utility companies every year, and increasingly wet weather all have a major impact on road conditions, the council said.

Following a busy summer of repairs and preventative maintenance, the council's road repair programme is back on track after slipping behind earlier this year.

The figures for June show 94 per cent of highway defects which meet the threshold for repair within five, 10 and 20 days targets were repaired on time - 9,526 repairs.

Cold wet weather has left the roads in shocking conditionCold wet weather has left the roads in shocking condition

The latest figures for July indicate almost all repairs are now being made within target times.

More than 93 per cent of the most urgent, which have a threshold for repair within four hours or two days, are being repaired on time, with 96 per cent of all other defect repairs on target.

In 2024/25 the county council expects to spend £29 million on improving road surfaces.

Lancashire County Council highways boss, Cllr Rupert Swarbrick, said: "Our vast road network is vital to the daily life of every resident, worker and business in the county and that's why keeping your roads safe is our top priority.

"We have invested above normal levels this year and brought in contractors to help our highways teams work at pace to keep up with the repairs caused by record rainfall.

"Despite this, we did struggle earlier this year to meet the very strict targets we set ourselves to repair potholes on time.

"The good news is that thanks to the phenomenal efforts of our teams we're back on track.

"Our latest figures for June and July show a much-improved picture, with the vast majority of potholes and other highway maintenance issues now being repaired within our target times."

The authority's environment boss, Cllr Shaun Turner, added: "We're committed to reducing the environmental impact of maintaining our roads, and our highways team has been pioneering low carbon methods for a number of years.

"Our teams are currently making the best use of the good weather to carry out vital repairs and resurfacing across the county, making our roads more resilient to the much wetter weather the UK experienced last winter."

Blackburn with Darwen Council is responsible for roads in its borough.