No extra costs for delayed roadworks

Highways bosses at Staffordshire County Council have said work has started to reduce a backlog of projects caused by the severe snow and ice earlier this month.

The county council has revealed a list of 18 projects across the county which had to be put on hold because of the extreme conditions. Despite the backlog it has said the work will not cost taxpayers any extra money and teams are now being dispatched to complete the work. In the Cannock area there are six projects delayed because of the weather.

These include road resurfacing in Walkmill Lane, Bridgtown, resurfacing on the A34 Walsall Road, footway reconstruction on the Westgate and Eastgate estates, road resurfacing in Four Ashes, highway improvements on Vicarage Road, Four Ashes, and bus route improvements from Cannock to Lichfield.

In Stafford Borough there is a total of seven projects that have been put on hold during the bad weather.

These include footpath reconstruction at Redhill Gardens in Stone, road restructuring on Hilderstone Road, in Sandon, highway improvements in Stafford town centre, cycle network improvements on the Newport Road, two safer routes to school projects in Wildwood and improvements on the Stafford to Stoke cycleway in Tollgate, Stone.

Michelle Hunt, spokesman for the county council's highways department said the delayed work would not lead to any extra cost for taxpayers adding: "The teams that had originally been doing work on these projects before Christmas resumed their roles last week and will be carrying out the work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"During the severe weather conditions, while these projects could not be carried out, they had been assisting with the gritting.

"The neighbourhood highways teams were also called upon to help grit Staffordshire's roads and have now been drafted in to work alongside the highways maintenance teams to repair potholes that have been created due to the freezing weather."

Staffordshire County Council is also facing a battle to repair damage caused by the severe ice and snow.

Road damage and problems can be reported to the council's highways hotline free on 0800 232323.