The Devon County Council Cabinet has approved the funding as part of its highway maintenance programme for the 2026/27 financial year. This latest investment follows previous allocations of £3 million for reactive highway maintenance and £4 million for rapid-response road repairs earlier in the year.
The new funding package will be used to resurface three crucial roads that serve as important diversion routes during major road closures. These routes include the stretch from Whiddon Down to Crockernwell, providing an east-west alternative; Stockland Hill, connecting the A35 and A30; and the B3181 at Budlake, which is used when traffic is diverted from the M5.
Additionally, the funds will support the expansion of the Rapid Response Teams and the establishment of four new dedicated drainage teams. These teams will enhance the council's capacity to tackle local drainage problems, complementing existing resources. The Rapid Response Teams have been addressing smaller sections of damaged roads since June, focusing on issues affecting local communities that do not meet the criteria for immediate safety repairs.
The four additional drainage teams will be responsible for clearing blocked gullies, roadside channels, and pipes. Local councillors and highways officers will assist in identifying the areas where this reactive support is most needed. The overall aim of these works is to improve the resilience of local roads during periods of prolonged adverse weather.
Councillor Dan Thomas, Cabinet Member for Highways, stated, “This is a major extra investment in something that affects almost everyone in Devon. We know how much the condition of roads and drains matters to communities across the county. This additional funding will help us strengthen important diversion routes and put more resources into the smaller road and drainage problems people see in their communities every day. The Rapid Response Teams give us more flexibility to deal with those jobs, and extending the trial to drainage should help us clear blocked gullies and pipes before they lead to bigger problems. We cannot fix every problem overnight, but this £4.5 million means we can do more and make the network better able to cope when bad weather or other incidents hit.”
