More than 90 per cent of the district’s major potholes and road defects have been fixed in just three months.

Figures released by Essex County Council show the number of hazards on main roads was reduced from 472 to 43 between June and September 2014.

However, the quarterly figures also revealed an additional 88 potholes have been reported on “local network” roads such as residential streets and country lanes.

County councillor Rodney Bass, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: “By doubling the number of crews fixing our main roads to 36 we have seen some dramatic results.

“Those crews have been moving over to tackle the local rural roads for several weeks to start bringing down the number of potholes and defects on those roads as well.

“By solving this problem strategically we are improving our roads and increasing safety across the county.”