WORCESTERSHIRE County Council is spending £700,000 to fix potholes over the next few weeks and is increasing the number of highway repair teams out and about.

23 gangs, nine more than usual, are now tackling highways defects and inspections have also increased.

Over the last two weeks about 850 potholes have been repaired but that number is expected to rise.

The seasonal elements have not been kind over the last few winters but rather than ice and snow causing the damage, severe rain will have caused damage to surfaces.

Councillor John Smith OBE, county council cabinet member for highways, said: "We've now entered the recovery phase of the flooding operation.

"Unfortunately, the recent severe weather experienced will lead to an increase in potholes on our roads.

"We recognise that and how important it is to fix any problems as quickly as possible, which is why we've put extra teams in place.

"Inspections will also ramp up but everyone can play a part. I'd urge anyone that does spot a problem to log on to worcestershire.gov.uk/reportit and let us know where there's an issue."

Last year Worcestershire Highways teams repaired about 27,000 potholes and highways defects on the roads.