KNUTSFORD’S MP hopes the money set aside by him in his Autumn Statement will help to repair the town’s roads.

In recent months the town’s streets have gradually got worse and repairs to holes have lasted only a short period of time.

Clr Michael Jones, at a meeting in Knutsford in October, pledged an extra £25 million would be spent over the next two years repairing the borough’s highways.

After an appeal in last week’s Guardian, readers contacted us with pictures and descriptions of the town’s pothole blackspots. The map above, produced by Jonathan Farber shows some of the town’s worst affected areas.

Jonathan trekked around the town with Knutsford town councillor Andrew Malloy pinpointing the location of each pothole to then pass on to the council.

In the past week Knutsford people have also said pavements on Bexton Road and Blackhill Lane are also in need of work.

On Tuesday, George Osborne told the Guardian he was aware of the problem of potholes, but highlighted his work as Chancellor was helping the council repair its roads.

“I am pleased to see some of the money I earmarked for national road improvements in my Autumn Statement will be spent to repair the potholes in Knutsford and Cheshire East,” he said.

“I realise that potholes have become a problem on many roads in my constituency, and I am delighted the council team are working hard to repair them. It’s great to see something I’ve work on at a national level as Chancellor help the people I represent here in Cheshire.”

The average cost to repair a pothole is £45 but if the weather dependent ‘Velocity Patcher’ – a vehicle that is hired by the council – is used, the cost drops to £20.

Last week Clr David Topping, said under-investment by the former authority Cheshire County Council and bad weather had left the town’s roads in a ‘bad way’.

Clr Rod Fletcher, Lib Dems leader at Cheshire East, said some potholes reported by councillors before Christmas were still waiting to be treated, while others fixed last year ‘had reappeared and are now even bigger’.

“Since the highways contract was outsourced in October 2011, the response to highway defects has been much slower,” he said. “Cheshire East recently announced they have received £25m from teh Government to improve the roads. Members of the public are asking where this money is being spent.”