An extra £15.5 million will be invested in fixing Staffordshire's roads this year, Staffordshire County Council says.

The money is on top of a £50 million proposed investment in major projects, maintenance and local improvements.

The council says the investment will see around 9,000 more potholes fixed across the county, added to the 35,000 repairs carried out in a typical year.

On top of this, the money will also result in a further 9,000 repairs as a result of bad winter weather, plus drainage repairs and preventative surface dressing treatments.

There will also be significant investment on structural repairs to roads nearing the end of their life, especially those leading to and from major towns in the county.

David Williams, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said: "Improving our highways is one of the top priorities for Staffordshire people, and good roads are vital for communities and businesses to thrive.

"Maintaining and improving Staffordshire's 6,000km of highways is very challenging, especially in light of rising costs and increasing road usage. This proposed extra investment will help keep our roads in good condition, as well as funding major projects that will help the connectivity of our county.

"However, we recognise that there is always more to be done and we continue to lobby central Government for the money necessary to keep Staffordshire's roads in the condition we expect, and to ensure local communities and businesses are able to see the benefits of an improved highway network."

Staffordshire County Council's cabinet met to discuss the proposals on March 16.