MANY Thurrock roads have been resurface over recent months – and more are to be repaired over the coming weeks.

At February’s budget-setting meeting, the council agreed an injection of cash to allow the highways department to improve roads and pavements.

Thurrock Council’s highways portfolio holder for highways, Councillor Oliver Gerrish, said: “We agreed a three-year programme which this year alone has seen the roads budget boosted by £300,000 and footpath maintenance funds increase by £100,000.”

He added: “We are responsible for 560km – or nearly 350 miles – of roads and 1,000km or over 600 miles of footpaths all of which had not been invested in properly for many years.

“Obviously we can’t just snap our fingers and fix everything overnight, but we made a serious start and people will have noticed the improvements as they drive around the borough.”

So far this financial year the council has resurfaced the link road between the Treacle Mine roundabout and the North Stifford interchange; the north side of the Treacle Mine roundabout; Lodge Lane, Grays, fronting the shopping parade at Sockets Heath; the Purfleet by pass, 250 metres west from the Stonehouse roundabout; Daiglen Drive, South Ockendon from the Stifford Road junction to Cawdor Avenue; Heath Road, Chadwell St Mary, from Hornsby Lane to Greyhound Lane; Dunnings Lane, Bulphan, from Fen Lane northwards for 400 metres; Springhouse Road, Corringham, from Southend Road to Gordon Road; and the The Manorway, Stanford-le-Hope, opposite Collins Close.

Mr Gerrish said: “We are only part way through the year and there are half a dozen more schemes in the programme for this year including the northern side of Junction 31, the west-bound carriageway of the A13 at Orsett, the A128 at Bulhan and Orsett and London Road in West Thurrock around st Clement’s Way.

“This is just the first year of a three year programme and we will be announcing more road improvements later in the year as we finalise the budgets for next year.”

And he added: “We’ve also made improvements to pavements and footpaths around the borough including in Tilbury. Stanford, Chadwell St Mary, and Grays “Next on the list are Sherfield Road in Grays and Stanford Road in Orsett.