WILTSHIRE has been given a £19 million boost to its road funding by the Government to use on pot holes and highways maintenance.

The money is part of a £1.2 billion investment in roads nationally that was announced by Transport minister Andrew Jones on Friday.

But this week Wiltshire Council was still not sure if it should be celebrating as it was unclear if the money announced was already included in its budget for next year or not.

A spokesman said it was not sure if this was new money or cash it was already expecting and had therefore already been allocated.

Mr Jones said the funding was to improve roads, cut congestion and improve journey times and included money from the new National Productivity Investment Fund, announced in the Autumn Statement and the Pothole Action Fund.

It also includes £75 million which councils can bid for to repair and maintain local infrastructure such as bridges, street lighting and rural roads.

Mr Jones said: “Roads play a significant part in everyday life linking people with jobs and businesses with customers, which is why this government is investing record amounts improving and maintaining highways across the country to help motorists.

“The funding we have allocated is focused on relieving congestion and providing important upgrades to ensure our roads are fit for the future - helping to build an economy that works for everyone.”

In a further effort to reduce the number of potholes the Department for Transport will begin a new innovative trial, in partnership with Thurrock and York Councils which could revolutionise the way potholes are identified and managed. A pothole-spotter system, mounted to refuse collection vehicles, comprising of high-definition cameras, integrated navigation system and intelligent software will be deployed to identify road surface problems before they become potholes.