Cheshire East Council has filled 21,643 potholes in our roads so far this year – and says the drive to tackle the problem is now moving up a gear.
The warmer spring weather means repairs to the Borough's 2,673km of highways can now really gather momentum – as it is far less effective to carry out repairs in wet and freezing conditions.
Cheshire East Highways' team filled 21,643 potholes between January 1st and April 21st this year and are on target to fill and repair more than 50,000 by the end of 2013.
Members of the public are being encouraged to play their part and report all potholes to Cheshire East Council.
The authority is investing £25m in targeted road repairs and resurfacing works over two years. The aim is to prioritise the defects and roads that are in the worst condition and end the 'cycle of decline' in the road network.
Councillor Topping, Cabinet member in charge of environment, said: "We have been working really hard to repair the crumbling fabric of our roads – but there is still much to do. That is why we want people to report potholes to the council, so we can target the worst problems more effectively and quickly.
"Successive bad winters and flooding last summer have left our roads in a poor condition and we know what we have to do to keep the network in a safe condition and clear the backlog of repairs.
"A measure of our commitment is that we are investing £25m over two years to repair local roads – and this will have a major impact on improving road conditions for local people and drivers."
Of the 400km of roads classed as defective in Cheshire East, 25% are in Nantwich LAP (local area partnership), 18% are in Congleton LAP, 18% are in Macclesfield LAP, 17% are in Crewe LAP, 13% are in Knutsford LAP, 5% are in Poynton LAP and 4% are in Wilmslow LAP.
You can report a pothole via the Council's website. Alternatively, ring the highways team on 0300 123 5020 and also see answers to frequently asked questions about potholes.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
May I say from personal experience that the method that you are using to report potholes (ie through councillors) is not the most efficient one. Cheshire East have a responsibility for the highway (not the parish council). There is money available and they have a statutory responsibility to repair the highway. However, they repair potholes by priority and not by date reported. So if it the potholes are on a C Class road (ie a residential street), then they are given the lowest priority.
From my experience the best way to reported potholes is by either using the online reporting facility at http://bit.ly/yV7fNz
or by phoning the council highways department direct on 0300 123 5020.
Also see http://bit.ly/WFTHxp
Hope this helps