DEVON will receive a £9.5 million over the next two years for highway maintenance.

Devon County Council will receive just over £6 million this coming financial year and just over £3.2 million in 2014/15.

The severe weather in July left Devon with a clean-up and repair bill which exceeded £5 million and a further £3 million of damage was caused in November.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "This is very good news and is exactly the sort of support we have been calling for following the severe flooding in Devon this year.

"Our county took a battering in November and in the summer. That has devastated many communities and has impacted on our local infrastructure.

"With over 8,000 miles of roads we have a larger network to maintain than any other authority in the country. Our roads are vital to our local economy and the flooding has hit Devon particularly hard.

"This grant is beneficial for our local economy as it will fund additional work for 'shovel ready' repair schemes.

"We will have a thorough look at our highway infrastructure across the county to ensure this funding will be targeted at connecting smaller communities to the main road network which will help with accessibility."

In 2011, Devon received £9.3million Winter Damage Grant, following successive harsh winters. This grant funded around 800 road repair schemes across the county.