Work to stop pot-holes from opening up on Norfolk’s roads - and to cut back grass verges - is to start despite the coronavirus pandemic, council bosses have said.

Norfolk County Council halted work on a number of roadworks schemes around the county at the end of last month, with the government having told people to stay at home.

The non-essential roadworks were suspended, but County Hall says essential work is carrying on.

And that includes the surface dressing scheme and cutting back grass verges to keep the county’s roads safe.

The council says its highways teams are following latest guidelines from Public Health England while they do their work.

Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council’s cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “It’s not business as usual, however urgent repairs and essential road, streetlight and traffic light maintenance continues.

“Norfolk’s highways teams are working to make sure our vital infrastructure doesn’t let us down, either now, or when we come out the other side of the pandemic.

“I’m proud that teams across the county are doing this necessary work to make sure our roads remain safe and accessible for all of us, and particularly for those working in the health and care sector and ambulance, police and fire services.”

The council says, as well as the highway repair and maintenance work still being carried out, surface dressing and grass cutting programmes, which are carried out between spring and September each year, will soon start.

But they say those have now been adapted to fit with public health guidelines.

Surface dressing sees roads given a new seal to prolong their life and prevent potholes opening-up. From Wednesday, April 5 that will be done, but away from urban areas.

The council says the focus will be on rural parts of the county. Rural areas in North Norfolk will be completed first, with the council saying they want them to be ready for when people are able to return to enjoy coastal areas after restrictions on movement end.

The annual grass cutting programme will be starting on many rural routes in mid-May. The focus will be on “essential work”, with particular focus on sight lines at corners and junctions.

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