DRIVERS and cyclists in Oldham are set to benefit from a £1 million plus injection of funding for road repairs.

It is part of a £53 million package to tackle potholes in the North West, announced by the Roads Minister Jesse Noman today.

It comes as the Department for Transport revealed how the £420 million announced in the Budget will be spent, bringing the total cash spent in the region this year up to £176 million.

In 2019-20, the North West will get more than £139 million from the Local Highways Maintenance and Integrated Transport Block funds, which will go towards repairing roads and investing in small safety, bus priority or walking and cycling schemes.

Greater Manchester also received a £69.5 million boost from the Budget, bringing its Transforming Cities Fund total to £312.5 million.

It is designed to improve public transport links to jobs. The authority has decided to invest in better cycling and tram links across the city.

Mr Noman said: “Potholes are a huge problem for all road users, and too often we see issues occurring at the same place time after time.

“That is why the Government is investing more in improving our roads than at any time before - £15 billion between 2015 and 2020 and a further £28.8 billion to 2025. Plus an immediate extra £420 million for potholes and local road maintenance just this year.

“The North West will be getting an extra £53 million this winter to keep its roads in good condition to keep drivers and cyclists safe.”