POTHOLES, cracks and other defects on Essex's main roads have reduced by over 80 per cent since June, county hall claim.

In less than five months, the number of defects on the county's busiest roads has reduced from 1,073 to 240 and from 2,590 to 333 on the roads which Essex County Council describes as providing an essential traffic management and distributor function.

Quarterly figures released today also show that defects requiring work on local roads rose from 12,972 to 14,549.

But Essex County Council says its fixed 11,000 potholes and cracks in just three months.

County Councillor Rodney Bass, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: "By doubling the number of crews fixing our main roads to 36 we have seen some dramatic results.

"Those crews have been moving over to tackle the local rural roads for several weeks to start bringing down the number of potholes and defects on those roads as well.

"By solving this problem strategically we are improving our roads and increasing safety across the county."