Somerset County Council has filled 4,610 potholes since the severe weather which hit the region at the beginning of January, it revealed this week.

Figures for January and February showed the number of reported potholes had risen by 530% in those two months alone.

A council spokesman said the prolonged spell of freezing weather allowed more water and frost to get under the surface of the roads than usual, causing potholes to form.

Despite the huge increase, the council said it had nearly twice the usual number of gangs out filling holes, repairing a record number of potholes in February, including 809 in just one week.

In total, 65% of the potholes reported since January have already been repaired, it said.

Councillor Anthony Trollope-Bellew, Somerset County Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “The severe weather at the start of the year caused an unprecedented amount of damage, but our Highways teams are working extremely hard to put this right. “The county council is committed to making sure that our roads are safe and well maintained, and from April, an extra £500,000 will be added to our maintenance budget to help with this.”

Anyone who spots a pothole is asked to report it to the council by logging on to www.somerset.gov.uk or by ringing 08453-459155.