Bradford Council has earmarked £2.4 million to improve the district’s worst-surfaced roads.

Extra money can been made available because the local authority has paid less compensation to the victims of accidents caused by poorly-maintained roads and pavements. The Council’s insurance premium has tumbled as a result, freeing up the money.

A third of the total will be available in each financial year for three years, starting now. Each of the Council’s five area committees is being provided with £100,000 to target roads in the poorest condition. The city centre has been allocated a further £50,000.

Carriageways, pavements, kerbs and drainage will be improved where necessary.

Bradford East Committee will be the last of the five area committees to approve a list of roads which should be improved in this financial year when it meets at City Hall on Thursday.

Councillor Sajawal Hussain (Lab, City), chairman of the Bradford West Area Committee, said additional investment was badly needed in his ward, and £100,000 would be spread too thinly across the six wards in Bradford West.

He said: “We need a substantial amount of money to reduce the compensation claims, to replace gullies in bad condition and replace out-of-date, inefficient street lighting.”

e-mail: ben.barnett@telegraphandargus.co.uk

For a full list of streets set to benefit, see today's Telegraph & Argus