COUNCIL officials have announced a £1.5m investment in improving roads in Darlington.

The borough council is ploughing £1m into repairing, maintaining and improving the area's road network.

A further £500,000 is being spent on improving footpaths and drainage to prevent seasonal flooding on roads.

The roads scheme is designed to halt a general decline in the quality of surfaces, as well as repairing damage that has occurred over the winter months.

The footpath work will include some resurfacing.

Areas to be specifically targeted are those that have been dug up a number of times by utilities companies.

A council spokeswoman said: "Although the paths are always reinstated and inspected after these companies have carried out work, over time, and after numerous excavations, it becomes difficult to maintain a satisfactory surface."

The money will be spent over the next two years and has come from Government and council funds.

The additional money will help to focus work on improving Darlington's national performance indicator on road conditions, which was at a low level in 1997.