IT HAS been estimated that the recent bad weather has caused around £2.5million damage to Carmarthen-shire’s road network.

The snow, frost and heavy rain has left a trail of destruction across the county as water in cracks expands into ice, causing the surface of the road to break up, resulting in deeper-than-usual potholes.

The damage adds to an already substantial road maintenance backlog running into millions of pounds.

The National Assembly has announced an extra £2.75million to help councils repair their weather-ravaged roads.

However, it is not known how much of a share Carmarthenshire will receive.

The council’s executive board member for technical services Councillor Haydn Jones said: “While it will take time to assess the true extent of the damage caused to our roads by the recent bad weather, initial reports suggest it could be in the region of around £2.5 million.

“The worst-affected roads will take priority, but some stretches will need more extensive resurfacing and that will take time.

“We welcome this extra money from the Assembly but like all local authorities in Wales we already have a substantial highways maintenance backlog.

“And the recent damage caused to the roads in Carmarthenshire undoubtedly puts added pressure on already stretched resources.”