POTHOLES more than a metre and a half wide are putting the public 'at risk', a Carnforth councillor has claimed.

Cllr John Reynolds has launched a petition urging central government to provide extra funding for road repairs.

“In our towns and rural areas, some of the holes reach a metre and a half wide, causing damage to cash strapped residents’ cars, and putting public safety at risk," he said.

Cllr Reynolds argued that additional funding is needed to repair Lancashire's town and country road networks.

He has launched a petition calling for extra funding and blames central government who he says will have taken £262 million pounds from Lancashire’s budget by 2021.

The Local Government Association has stated that £12bn is needed to deal with a backlog of repairs nationwide and Cllr Reynolds contends that the only solution to the problem in Lancashire is more funding.

“How can the county highways department be expected to carry out their statutory obligations to maintain our roads, when struggling with such savage Government cuts?" he said. "I'm tired of hearing that the county council is to blame for the state of the roads.

"It’s the Government’s fault: they seem blinded to the fact that our national infrastructure requires investment. The condition of some roads is now bordering on becoming a hazard to safety, and a visual sign of neglect that affects us all."

Lancashire County Council found and fixed just over 4,000 potholes/defects across the county in February, which is the same rate as during the same period last year.

The council's intervention level for fixing a pothole is when it is 40mm deep.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “It is vital councils keep our roads in a good condition to deliver better journeys for drivers.

"That is why the Government is providing councils in England a record £6 billion between 2015 and 2021. From this we are allocating Lancashire over £120 million to maintain their roads.”

The government has also provided £250 million from a Pothole Action Fund, with Lancashire receiving to date £2.9 million from this fund, enough to fix just over 54,000 potholes.