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Potholes repaired at record rates as councils take advantage of empty roads

Potholes repaired at record rates, as councils take advantage of empty roads - PA 
Potholes repaired at record rates, as councils take advantage of empty roads - PA

Potholes are being repaired at record rates, as councils take advantage of empty roads to do much-needed maintenance.

Councils across the country have been busy filling in nuisance potholes as roads have experienced less traffic due to lockdown.

In Shropshire, two-person pothole gangs have been working hard to complete a total of 9,907 highway tasks between the 23 March and 1 June is; alongside a further 25,820 inspections, the council said.

In March Shropshire had reported 5,259 potholes and other defects but this has been reduced to under 3,000 with work including 'texpatching', thermal patching and jet patching.

Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “During the coronavirus pandemic we’ve made some changes to our highways maintenance work.

“We’re prioritising essential repairs, such as potholes and pavement defects, to ensure that the county’s roads remain safe and serviceable.”

Meanwhile, Derbyshire County Council completed 28,026 pothole repairs between the 23 March and 31 May, compared to the 12,591 in the same time period last year.

Councillor Conor Wileman, who represents Winshill and Brizlincote on Staffordshire County Council, had said he was working to ensure “highway works continue while the traffic is quiet to minimise distribution for residents."

In Suffolk, there has been an 18.5 per cent increase in repairs with more than 6,300 potholes and other highway faults fixed in March and April, while Manchester has laid more than 100,000 sqm of new road surfaces since April 1.

Highway crews in Bury have also filled in more than 1,700 potholes since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown.

While Stoke-on-Trent City Council tripled its number of pothole repairs, with 1,885 completed -  more than the combined total in January and February and three times as many as were made in March.

Council leader Abi Brown said: “Our teams have been working safely and efficiently through the coronavirus restrictions, and the quiet roads have helped us to complete more repairs and cause less disruption to road users.”

In May, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced a multi-billion-pound infrastructure package that would upgrade the nation’s road and rail networks during the lockdown period.

The £1.7bn Transport Infrastructure Investment Fund sets out to improve roads, repair bridges and fill 11 million potholes, enough to tarmac a road stretching a third of the way around the Earth.

Commenting on the fund, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said they had been “accelerating infrastructure upgrades” to the benefit of those who are starting to begin commuting again as society is gradually reopened.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak had previously announced that £2.5bn would be delivered over five years to tackle deteriorating local roads, and fill in potholes across the country.