"Coventry roads voted best in Midlands"

Coventry has the best roads in the Midlands, a report has claimed.

Figures show just three per cent of roads are thought to be in need of urgent repairs over the next 12 months.

The report, released by GMB, examined the state of routes around the region - with Coventry finishing in top spot. It means the city has moved from being the worst in the Midlands to the best.

The union claimed 85 per cent of roads in the city are in top condition, compared to 82 per cent in Walsall, the next best local authority.

In Herefordshire - which finished bottom of the league table - two in three roads required work compared to the national average of just over one in four.

Coventry City Council chiefs said extra money had been slipped into road repairs over the last two years on a policy of worst first, while new methods of repair had ensured better results.

They claimed more than 200 miles of city roads have been resurfaced since May 2010 - when Labour took control of the council.

Coun Lindsley Harvard, head of city services, said: "We are pleased with these figures, which prove that we are going in the right direction.

"However, we know that much work is still to be done and we are determined to keep up the good work until all Coventry's roads have been resurfaced."