The way potholes are assessed for filling and fixing by Swindon Borough Council's highways department is to change.

Councillors on the authority's communities and place overview committee heard from senior officer in the highways department Tim Price about the work done to maintain the roads in the town.

Mr Price explained that previously it was the size of the hole that was important - but now, after a change in advice, the council is taking a risk-based approach.

He said: "We used to investigate very pothole over 40 mm deep. Wherever it was. If the pothole wasn't that deep we might not have done anything.

"Now we'll be taking a more risk based approach. A deeper pothole which is right up against a wall, or out of the carriageway, we might leave - but we'll do something about a shallower one which creates more risk. That will be in the risk assessment."

Mr Price said that every road in the borough was inspected for holes and damage at least once or twice every year.

He told councillors that 7,000 gulleys - roads gutters leading to drains - are cleared every year, and roads with higher risk of flooding are cleared more frequently than roads with a lower risk.

He pointed out the borough's roads are worth about £1.3 billion and are by far the biggest asset the borough council owns.