Councils named and shamed over potholes

HIGHWAY authorities have been named and shamed as drivers demand action to tackle the nation's "pothole plague".

- BY DAVID WILLIAMSON Chief Political Commentator

A new traffic-light system grades councils on the state of their roads and how they are using taxpayers' cash to fix potholes and maintain highways.

Thirteen local authorities are graded red - Bedford, Bolton, Cumberland, Derbyshire, Greenwich, Kensington and Chelsea, Leicestershire, North Lincolnshire, Slough, Suffolk, Waltham Forest, Westmorland and Furness and West Northamptonshire.

Councils are under pressure to deliver improvements following the announcement of £7.3billion in funding.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "For too long drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate.