Councillor Heather Kidd released this montage of photographs to show some of the worst potholes and cracked roads in Highley
Has a Shropshire village got some of the worst roads in the UK? That is the question being asked by a leading county councillor.
Councillor Heather Kidd, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Ludlow and Bridgnorth, has challenged Shropshire County Council to find a town or village in the UK with worse roads than Highley, near Bridgnorth.
She says the village “has got the lot” when it comes to worn surfaces and pot holes.
Councillor Kidd has been contacted by residents who are fed up with the pot holes, crumbling pavements and road closures and the shoddy work that is carried out by the council but does not last.
She said: “We all suffer from poor roads in Shropshire, but Highley is in a league of its own. To say that the county council has let down its residents is a gross understatement.
“Its not just a question of one or two stretches. There is evidence of poor workmanship and neglect right across the village. With worn surfaces, pot holes and broken pavements, Highley’s got the lot.”
Councillor Kidd and a group of other councillors recently distributed a residents’ survey on the state of the roads, which identified more than 20 areas of road that were in need of attention.
Councillor Kidd added: “Many residents have told me that even when repairs are attempted it takes the form of temporary patching which only lasts a few months.
“What’s worse is that this state of affairs has gone on for years.”
To focus the council’s mind on the problem, Councillor Kidd will be running a petition in the village over the next few weeks to collect signatures, culminating in a street stall in the centre of Highley on December 13.
The petition will be presented to the county council demanding some action.
Chris Edwards, SCC’s assistant director for environmental maintenance, said the council was aware of some issues in Highley and plans were in place, including drainage works on the B4555 by the Pen Factory and resurfacing works on Netherton Lane, to be carried out by the end of this year.
He said: “Our policy is always to keep the roads in a safe condition for the travelling public until permanent works can be completed. We have carried out various footway repairs and resurfacing schemes over the last few years in Highley. We also carry out regular inspections.
“The damage caused in Halfway House Lane was a result of traffic using the lane as a shortcut rather than using the designated diversion route during the Severn Trent Water works. There are plans to carry out these repairs in the near future.”
Any Shropshire Star readers who know of any similar or worse roads in the county, can contact us on (01952) 242424.
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3 Comments
Trust me, councillor – if you’re thinking of a holiday in Wiltshire where I live, then Highley sounds like the ideal training ground for our dilapidated roads!
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I went through the official T&W Complaints procedure last year. A complete farce.
We did get two repairs done. One was a repair with 24 patches. Every defect is a faulty patch.
It now takes two people, a driver and a painter, to put yellow paint on a hole.
Efficiency? Tell me about it.
That is half a days work for two people, plus writing a report and raising a contract.
For some reason holes are only repaired individually, there must be some EU and Health and Safety reason for not doing the whole street. Investors in People?
I think it would bring down their cost-per-patch statistics down too much.
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Sutton Bank from the Coalport Bridge to the A442 is totally ridiculous. It has been repaired so many times it looks like a patchwork quilt. The standard of repairs is also very poor. Once again potholes are appearing. I have complained to the Wrekin highways department on numerous occasions, only to see the holes identified by yellow paint, then, because nothing is done about it, the rain wash’s the paint off. I was told on the phone by a representitive from the council, that due to the recent bike race, the road would be repaired, and it was, the fact that it is one of the main route’s to Telford from Broseley for CARS, had nothing to do with the road being repaired !!!
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