Six more contractors have been hired to tackle the county’s pothole crisis in a race against time before winter arrives.

Kent County Council (KCC), which is responsible for looking after highways, is using £6million in additional government funding to tackle crumbling roads.

The repair list is so long this year, the authority has conceded it could take until the autumn to get through them.

Potholes happen mainly during winter when cold and wet weather causes the road surface to break up and is made worse by heavy traffic.

After last winter's prolonged spells of rain and frost, there was a five-fold increase in reports.

Deteriorated highways can damage vehicles, cause punctures and even contribute to accidents.

KCC has failed to meet its own 28-day target to deal with pothole reports.

KCC highways boss, Cllr David Brazier said recently: “It’s a big issue for people - it’s perfectly understandable. Potholes damage cars, they are unsightly and make the roads appear uncared for.”

KCC's own local transport plan recently acknowledged that due to financial restraints “our highways assets are in a phase of managed decline”.

The plan, released last month, stated: “The rate of highway asset deterioration has far exceeded the rate of investment. As a result, the value of the backlog of maintenance works needed for our managed road network has been increasing.”

A KCC statement said: “KCC received an additional £6m in government funding to ensure potholes and safety critical defects can be repaired as soon as possible.

“This means the total investment in road and footway maintenance repairs and resurfacing this financial year is expected to be in the order of £50 million.

“This work has been going on since winter when Kent’s roads were battered with wintry and icy conditions, and will continue throughout the summer autumn months.

“Six additional contractors have been appointed by KCC to ensure the required resources are on hand to successfully deliver the level of repair needed over this short period of time.”

Cllr Brazier added: “We know how disruptive and frustrating it is for the travelling public when potholes are left untreated.

“This additional investment is allowing us to work faster and smarter to ensure the travelling public in Kent continue to be safe in moving around the county.

“Our road workers are on the front line every day, working hard to ensure we repair all faults that we are made aware of as we work to win the battle against potholes.”

KCC’s highway stewards prioritise reports of damage received from members of the public, as well as those picked up in its own routine inspections.