HAMPSHIRE'S highways workers have fixed more than 30,000 potholes since the coldest winter in 30 years.

As soon as the snow had melted away, Hampshire County Council doubled the number of its Pothole Busters gangs to 50.

They have also resurfaced or patched around 43 miles (70km) of Hampshire’s roads.

On top of that, £1.5m was spent on resurfacing damaged roads in 47 rural locations, many of which are vital links between communities.

Councillor Mel Kendal, executive member for environment at Hampshire County Council, said: “We’re beginning to see some results now from the extra focus we have put in to tackle the increased amount of potholes after the winter.

“We will continue to work hard to look after Hampshire’s roads – good roads are important to Hampshire’s residents and so are a priority for the council. We are committed to restoring our road network to the condition it was in before the winter, and improving the condition of the roads in the long term, which is why the county council has announced an ambitious multi million pound programme, Operation Resilience, to strengthen our roads and make them less prone to potholes."