This follows a Government announcement of national funding of £100 million to deal with damage caused by recent freezing weather.

Of that amount, Essex is set to benefit by £2.6 million, in addition to the £3 million the county council already planned to invest from April in pothole repairs.

Cllr Ian Grundy, responsible for highways, said: "It’s a welcome boost to our resources.

“We already have 30 crews working on both urgent make safe fixes and the longer-term and bigger jobs of permanent repairs across the county.

“Of course it will still take some time to work through the damage caused by the recent weather, so we are asking road users to be patient, but rest assured we are getting on with the job.”

Part of the fight against potholes is the £50 million investment this year by Essex County Council in resurfacing whole roads or long sections.

Engineers use a variety of techniques depending on the condition of the road and how much traffic it takes.

Resurfacing gets rid of existing potholes and prevents potholes forming for years to come.

Further details and this year’s surfacing programme map are now online at essex.gov.uk/surfacing.