The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander MP, announced that the Government will provide an extra £1.6 billion to repair roads and fill potholes across England.
This will be accompanied by “a clampdown on disruptive street works, doubling fixed penalty notices for utility companies who fail to comply with rules, and extending charges for street works that run into the weekend.”
Mr Francois has campaigned for several years to tighten roadwork regulations across the country.
He said: “I launched the ‘Can the Cones’ campaign over a year ago after multiple complaints from my constituents about seemingly endless roadworks in my constituency and across Essex.
“I introduced a Ten-Minute Rule Bill into Parliament, to tighten up on the regulations of roadworks and with the intention of trying to persuade the Department of Transport to take action.
“My Bill unfortunately ran out of Parliamentary time, so I recently reintroduced it prior to Christmas and have had discussions with the Road Minister, Lillian Greenwood MP, about this.
“I am very pleased to see the Department of Transport are now taking action on this matter.
“I shall continue to campaign for further change in this area to try and ‘Can the Cones’, as far as we can.”