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A consultation on lowering the minimum age for drivers carried out last year by the then Conservative government received "overwhelming support from across the industry", the DfT said.

The DfT believes new job and apprenticeships for 18-year-olds could become available as early as December.

A DfT spokesperson said updating the more than 160-year-old legislation would "ensure that the tiny minority who recklessly disregard others face the full force of the law".

The DfT said councils' road maintenance progress reports must be published by the end of June and say how much they are spending, how many potholes they have filled, how they are minimising roadwork disruption, and what their long-term road maintenance plans are.

However, to get all of the extra funding, the DfT said English local authorities must publish annual reports detailing progress on pothole fixing, with a quarter of the funding held back to those who fail to do so.