Highway maintenance staff have called off six planned days of consecutive strike action after winning a "vastly improved" two-year pay deal, Unite announced today.

The members working for Amey at four depots, including Hertfordshire, backed a new pay offer from management after the first day of an unprecedented week-long strike.

The company, which manages 30,000 miles of highway across the UK – gritting roads and maintaining crash barriers – accepted a 2.25 per cent increase in pay, backdated to April 1, 2014, and a further 1.75 per cent increase in pay as of April 1, 2015.

Richard Gates, Unite regional officer, said: "Thanks to the strong position we took and the arguments the union put forward, Amey realised that workers have been hit hard in recent years over pay.

"We were not prepared to accept a settlement that in effect meant no real-terms increase, while company directors saw their salaries ramped up by 65 per cent in the last four years.

"Make no mistake this is a victory and members are delighted."