POT holes in roads around Honiton, Axminster and Seaton are set to get filled in faster – now that Devon County Council has extended a pilot project to the area.

POT holes in roads around Honiton, Axminster and Seaton are set to get filled in faster - now that Devon County Council has extended a pilot project to the area.

The project aims to improve response times to reports of pot holes, with temporary repairs taking place within seven days.

Last winter's severe winter weather left Devon County Council facing a massive repair bill with potholes forming at three times the normal rate. Between February 2 and March 16 this year, almost 6,500 potholes were patched, compared with more than 2,300 over the same six week period the previous year.

Since the beginning of the year, over 36,000 defects have been fixed after being identified through a combination of reports from the public and planned safety inspections. This is already nearly double the amount found during a 'normal' year, with more than two months left to go.

The increased workload has prompted the council to find new ways of providing a quicker response to reports of potholes, while also looking at how to make longer lasting repairs more efficiently.