MORE than 120 miles of our rural roads have been 'dressed' in a highway treatment programme by an army of workers.

The team travelled across the county over 18 weeks with Dorset Council's Phoenix vehicles treating roads to protect them from water damage and to improve skid resistance.

Beginning in April, they covered 126 miles of road in total, including 29 miles of the ‘main road’ network.

Some 15,000 tonnes of stone and 1.8m litres of bitumen emulsion used.

Areas covered included Dorchester, Wareham, Blandford and Sherborne.

Premium surface dressing, which uses a finer grade stone on faster roads, was carried out on sections of the A37, A352, A354, A353, A357 and A356 by Eurovia Specialist Treatments.

Councillor Ray Bryan, cabinet member for highways, travel and environment, said: “Each year we invest around three-million-pounds to improve road condition using surface dressing, which is an effective treatment where the top road layer is worn.

“This is used alongside resurfacing – used where deeper road layers are damaged – to ensure we are spending the money we have in the most efficient way.

“Roads are the lifeline for businesses and communities and we will continue to maintain them in line with the resources we have available.”

Planned road maintenance work is continuing within the Dorset Council area, as is reactive pothole repair work. Community highway officers carry out regular inspections of roads as well as responding to reports made by residents.

Potholes are prioritised for repair based on location, size, depth and the category of road it's on - a pothole on an A class road will be fixed quicker than a similar pothole on a C or D class road. The council aims to repair all potholes within 28 days.

You can report a problem with any aspect of the highway via dorsetcouncil.gov.uk