MALVERN roads could benefit by as much as £3 million in investment after the Government agreed a massive cash injection.

Worcestershire County Council will get an extra £15 million over two years to boost its spending on the county's road network, increasing its annual spending by 50 per cent.

The funding is desperately needed as the condition of the county's roads is at an all-time low, 45 per cent worse than the national average.

Roads spokesman Coun Tom Wells said the Government had been sufficiently impressed with the council's Local Transport Plan to unlock the funds, which will be spent on all grades of road - A, B, C and unclassified, both urban and rural.

Coun Wells said the county council had already made strenuous efforts to improve its investment in roads, adding £1m in investment in this financial year making it up to £15.5 million and committing itself to a further £2m in the next financial year.

In Malvern, that money has been spent on work in Graham Road, Pound Bank Road and Madresfield Road.

"I think the Government has recognised the state of the nation's roads is going down the pan," said Coun Wells.

"The roads are in such a dreadful state, it's not just down to local taxpayers to do something about it, we need Government support as well.

"I will make sure Malvern has its fair share of this fund to begin to address the backlog of repairs and it is not just about roads, its footpaths as well."

Mike Davis, highways manager, said the extra funding is great news.

"In previous years there has been year after year of reductions in funding for maintenance expenditure and it is only since Worcestershire County Council was formed that the members gave a commitment to increase funding," he said.

"They recognised that the county roads were deteriorating but there'll be a lot of added damage to the roads as a result of the floods."

The cost of repairing roads and footpaths does not come cheap.

To resurface 100 metres of footpath costs about £4,000 and resurfacing a 100 metre stretch of road costs about £6,000.

Mr Davis said costs are often higher because work needs to be carried out at night.