On the 24th March, David Ruffley MP received a letter from the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt. Hon Philip Hammond MP about potholes and local road damage.

Mr Ruffley said: 'I am pleased that the Secretary of State has written to me and is recognising that there is a problem with local roads. I am particularly concerned with the pothole damage on the A14 stretch between Bury St Edmunds and Needham Market.

In Philip Hammond's letter he advises me that £200 million of additional funding will be allocated to Local Authorities for the 'abnormal damage' caused this winter. I am also glad to see that Suffolk is going to receive a sizeable portion of this local road allocation - £4,441,187, which is fantastic when compared with our neighbours in Cambridgeshire who will receive £2,681,869. I am hoping that these additional funds will be used wisely and that the pothole problem which has affected the whole of Suffolk can be fixed.

The A14 is a vital highway between the Midlands and the Continent and it bisects directly through my constituency. Therefore I will be keeping a close eye on the progress of these repairs.'