Labour's Hitchin County Council Candidates have written to Hertfordshire County Council Conservative Leader, Cllr Richard Roberts, to demand that the council does all it can to sort out what they describe as "the local pothole epidemic" - and secure additional support from the Labour Government to resolve the problem after "years of neglect under the Conservatives".

It has been announced this week that for the first time, every council in England must publish how many potholes they've filled or lose road cash.

Local authorities that comply will receive their full share of the £500m roads pot – reportedly enough to fill the equivalent of 7 million potholes a year, as part of the Government's Plan for Change.

From mid-April, local authorities in England will start to receive their share of the Government's record £1.6bn highway maintenance funding. But to get the full amount, all councils in England must from Monday 24 March publish annual progress reports and prove public confidence in their work. Local authorities who fail to meet these strict conditions will see 25% of the uplift (£125m in total) withheld and reallocated to other councils.

In an open letter to Cllr Richard Roberts, Labour's Indie Sunner, Cllr Nigel Mason and Cllr Ian Albert said that it is "absolutely critical that you ensure you take advantage of the support from the Labour Government and finally get to grips with the potholes that drive motorists mad".

The letter continued - "From Walsworth Road, to Bedford Road, to Old Park Road, to name just a few in Hitchin, and plaguing many of the roads around Whitwell, Breachwood Green and across our rural villages, potholes are the recurring story of Conservative Party failure in Hertfordshire County Council. The county has an estimated 12,650 potholes, and has been named the UK's second-worst area for highways repairs. The public deserves to know how what progress is being made. Our residents need to see many more potholes fixed this year than the one before. We need to see the potholes crisis brought to an end. Don't fail us and throw away our share of the additional £500 million. There can be no excuses - the Labour Government has provided the support you need - but now you need to act. We look forward to monitoring your progress".

Hitchin MP Alistair Strathern, supporting the open letter, said that the government is "giving Hertfordshire County Council the tools they need to fix our crumbling local roads, with our share of £500 million to tackle potholes. Our Labour council candidates and I will continue to hold the council's feet to the fire to ensure they deliver for drivers across Herts"