Peterborough City Council has submitted a bid for £6.1 million to the Department for Transport for cash to repair drought-damaged roads.

The city council has joined other local councils in the East of England to bid for government cash to help repair millions of pounds worth of damage to roads in the region caused by the ongoing drought conditions.

Information from the Environment Agency indicates that the fen areas of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Suffolk are considered to be suffering drought conditions which have caused extensive damage to roads in the affected areas.


Peterborough City Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Neighbourhoods and Planning, Councillor Peter Hiller, said: "The Environment Agency considers that an extensive area of the eastern region is still suffering drought conditions with low water levels.

"As a result of the drought the moisture content in the soil beneath the roads has fallen and the soil has shrunk causing serious damage to the roads - we have been trying to keep pace with the repair work, but now the extent of the damage means we need to look for assistance to meet the cost of carrying out these unprecedented repairs which are well beyond the financial resources of individual local authorities in the region.

"We are in a similar situation to our neighbouring authorities and feel that taking a common approach to the identification of the worst roads puts us in a stronger position to bid for additional money to help tackle this exceptional problem."

A total of 57 sites have been identified as part of the bid with the majority of these to the east of Peterborough including the general areas of Thorney and Newborough.

(CD/GK)