Osborne pledges money to repair roads in his Budget

George Osborne today pledged money to repair potholes that blight cyclists and motorists alike as part of his Budget speech.

Addressing the Commons this afternoon, the Chancellor told MPs that he has set aside £100m to improve the condition of the country's roads.

The money will be funded by cuts made by the Department of Transport following last year's Emergency Budget.

News of the announcement was greeted by a mixed response, with AA president Edmund King tweeting: "Extra £100m for potholes welcome, but drop in the ocean."

Olympic-sized bill

Osborne's figure pales in comparison to the prediction made by a Labour councillor about the cost of preparing Surrey's roads for the 2012 Olympic road race.

As reported by CW earlier this month, Tim Shand believes that £400m is required to make the roads fit for the event.

Box Hill, which will be climbed nine times by the men's race and twice by the women, is in particularly poor condition.

The Conservative council, however, has pledged £16.3m to pay for road repairs for 200 miles of resurfacing, with none of that money coming from today's £100m.