Councils in England will be given a share of more than £200m for road maintenance and pothole repairs, transport secretary Chris Grayling has announced.

He said the cash would come from the £6.6bn the Government is providing to improve local roads in the six years up to 2021.

As part of a drive to prevent potholes appearing the Department for Transport will fund early stage research into new surface materials and repair techniques.

A digital hub will also be set up for experts to share and develop innovations.

Mr Grayling said: 'Every motorist knows that potholes have been a problem in the last few years. That is why the Government is continuing to step up its funding to local authorities to address this.

'It is now up to highways authorities to innovate and use new technologies to solve the problem.'

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