A boost of £500,000 has been awarded to Worcestershire County Council to help improve traffic lights across the county.

The money has come from the Department for Transport (DfT) through the "Traffic Signals Maintenance Specific Grant."

The funding, the maximum that can be awarded to a single authority, will be used to deliver a programme of work to repair and improve lights across Worcestershire.

Measures include using low-voltage LED lights and future-proofing ahead of new technology coming in.

Councillor Alan Amos, cabinet member for highways and transport said: “It’s fantastic news that we were successful in securing the full amount of money as it will help us to maintain and upgrade our traffic signals, making it easier and more efficient for people to travel around our county.

“I can’t wait to see the difference that this important investment will make.

"Ongoing maintenance of traffic signals is vital to achieve improvements in road safety, decarbonise and reduce collisions.

"This funding will go a long way to helping us make progress in these areas.”

It is expected that journey times will be reduced with the use of technologies monitoring traffic levels and altering traffic light timings accordingly.

This in theory means faster and easier journeys, less congestion and better air quality.

The DfT has issued grants totalling £15m to 39 local authorities across England.

This investment will enable councils to upgrade and repair traffic signals, with the aim of improving traffic flow and reducing air pollution as well as congestion in their areas.