Pot holes in the East Midlands after the big freeze.

Motorists are facing a bumpy ride due to pot holes which have formed after the recent big freeze.

Councils in the East Midlands say their maintenance teams are working hard to repair damaged roads.

In Nottinghamshire, three county council teams are filling about 40 pot holes every day.

Officials in Leicestershire expect to spend thousands of pounds repairing the damage on the roads caused by the effects of the freezing weather.

Pot holes form as water enters cracks in the road surface.

'Urgent repairs'

As the water expands when it freezes it forces cracks to open up which then breaks into a pot hole.

Tony Cox, from Nottinghamshire's highways department, said: "We are dealing with all the urgent repairs as quickly as we can.

"We have a network of inspectors who continually monitor the areas so that every road gets checked in a certain amount of time.

"Any pot holes they find, we then come out and repair them."

Councillor Lesley Pendelton, Leicestershire's cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We spend on average £300,000 filling pot holes every year, probably more this year following the harsh winter."

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