BOLTON is set to receive more than £1.3 million in emergency funding to tackle potholes throughout the borough.

The cash is part of a £53 million pot announced by the roads minister to give council's a chance to improve the North West's road network.

It comes a week after Bolton Council revealed a £2.6 million fund to be spent on highways and pavements, improving public spaces such as play areas, and encouraging people to take better care of the environment.

The government's announcement means its total funding for the North West's road network this year is up to £176 million.

Bolton West MP Chris Green said the state of the road network was one of the biggest issues raised during discussions with his constituents.

He added: “Unfortunately, Bolton has been consistently let down by Labour, who failed to invest adequately and left England with increasing potholes in every quarter and a legacy of substandard roads during their last term in office.

“This is why I’m especially pleased to see that Bolton has received a significant boost in its funds for road repairs in the budget and I will fight to ensure that Bolton West gets its fair share of the funding.”

Bolton Council's member for highways David Chadwick was less positive, calling the funding a "drop in the ocean".

He said: "I'm appreciative of any money for highway repairs. Unfortunately, this is just a drop in the ocean. I don't want to seem churlish but quite we have a big funding gap.

"We're talking around £80 or £90 million to actually bring roads up to a reasonable standard."

Announcing the money, roads minister Jesse Noman said: “Potholes are a huge problem for all road users, and too often we see issues occurring at the same place time after time.

“That is why the Government is investing more in improving our roads than at any time before - £15 billion between 2015 and 2020 and a further £28.8 billion to 2025."

Mr Norman also pointed to the smart motorway schemes on the M6, M60 and M62.

The council's own funding was freed up from the cash put aside for The Octagon’s refurbishment project after a £100 million loan was taken out for its town centre regeneration masterplan.

Previously, £4 million from the council’s budget was earmarked to help with the £10 million refurbishment and upgrade of the theatre.

With this money instead coming from the loan, the council plans to spend some of it on improving the road network and other public spaces which have suffered the effects of harsh winters and a shrinking council budget.