A new seven-year highway maintenance contract has been launched by Warwickshire County Council aimed at improving roads, footways and bridges across the county.

The contract comes after the council reported a backlog of 1,624 permanent road repairs in March.

Council officers say the programme will use artificial intelligence to monitor road conditions and help identify which repairs should be prioritised first.

Cllr Jennifer Warren, portfolio holder of transport and planning shared: "The same amount of work we carried out last year could be delivered for £1 million less in the new contract, unlocking the potential to increase the amount of work we do for the same spend."

Information gathered by the system will be analysed through a central information hub before repair crews are sent to the areas most in need of work.

The council also says residents will receive more real-time updates on reported potholes and road repairs. Drivers who report an issue will be able to track when work is scheduled to take place.