'Pothole city' gets £674m funding

More than £674m is being spent on an overhaul of roads and pavements in Sheffield to tackle its reputation as Britain's "pothole city".

The city has had the nickname for several years and in 2007 an online BBC poll showed there were more complaints about roads there than anywhere else.

The city council has secured £674.1m of funding for a revamp of its streets.

Leader Paul Scriven said people "don't want to have to drive over endless potholes or walk on uneven pavements".

He added: "People have told us that sorting out their roads and pavements is a priority for them.

"Therefore I'm delighted that we have managed to gain this funding.

"It's our aim to use this investment in order to make sure that everyone has local streets to be proud of."

The council said the cash was the "single biggest allocation" of government funding for any local authority scheme.

It will be paid to the council over 25 years from 2011, and will be used to improve and maintain highways, bridges, trees, grass verges and street lighting.

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Millions to be spent on repairs