More than 1,000 potholes are being plugged in Cambridgeshire’s roads each week, the county council has said.

The authority has expanded its fleet of ‘dragon patcher’ repair machines to three in a bid to put right damage, much of which caused by the Beast from the East cold snap in the spring.

It took on its first dragon patcher - named after the flames it shoots out to dry the road surface during repairs - in January and since then it has filled nearly 7,000 potholes.

The machine, which can repair 150 potholes a day, was the first in the region and has now been joined by two others. Their repairs are quicker and quieter than traditional methods, the council says.

Councillor Matthew Shuter, chairman of the county’s highways and community infrastructure committee, said: “We’ve been working hard to restore our roads following the damage done by the Beast from the East and the severe weather we had earlier this year. We are really pleased to have these two new dragon patchers which arrived in the county this month.

“We have learnt from the previous winter and have already made changes to the way we repair the potholes so we’re ready for this winter and these dragons will help us in our battle. They’re around five times faster than traditional methods and also mobile which is particularly good for rural areas and can do more work for the money.”

Cllr Shuter said: “Our roads are important to us and we continue to maintain our roads and carry out regular inspections to ensure they are in a good condition.”