Road maintenance record in county

A record amount of money has been spent on improving Staffordshire's roads.

The county council said schemes last year cost a total of £18m and 126 projects were completed.

These included work on the Biddulph bypass, strengthening the Victoria Road bridge in Stafford and road safety initiatives.

The council said a quarter of the money came through grants from the private sector rather than from the public purse.

Councillors believe the new deal with construction companies will lead to greater efficiency.

The authority is particularly proud of the increase in the number of people using its rural bus routes.