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Pothole bill hits £870,000
Saturday 14th November 2009, 11:59AM GMT.
The cost of patching up potholes in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin is £870,000 each year, it was revealed today.
Officials invest a small fortune on roads that fall into disrepair, figures obtained by the Shropshire Star show.
The cost for the county’s two councils varies dramatically because they have different lengths of road to maintain.
Shropshire Council spends £700,000 patching potholes across its extensive road network while Telford & Wrekin commits just £170,000 on its smaller network.
Both councils also follow a national code, to make sure the worst potholes are repaired within 24 hours.
Today Councillor Steve Bentley, cabinet member for environment at Telford & Wre- kin Council, said: “In 2008/09 approximat- ely £170,000 was spent on patching and pothole repairs, the cost of using the council’s ‘Pot Hole Buster’ is included in the figure.
“We undertake safety inspections on adopted roads at least once a year. The busiest roads and areas are surveyed each month, other roads and areas are surveyed less frequently.”
Councillor Bentley added that the authority took potholes seriously and tried to repair them as quickly as possible.
He said: “Once a pothole has been identified, it is assigned a grade related to its risk which sets the timescales for repair.
“The highest risks are repaired within 24 hours however the lowest risk potholes will be repaired as part of our future works programme.”
Meanwhile, Shropshire Council spends £700,000 each year on repairing potholes.
Chris Edwards, Shropshire Council’s assistant director for environmental maintenance, said: “If a defect is identified the treatment method is then decided and prioritised according to their condition along with other roads in the county.”
Shropshire Council has also invested in two Roadmaster machines to repair potholes more effectively and efficiently.
The machine uses compressed air to blow water or dirt out of a pothole that needs repairing and it is filled with hot bitumen and chippings.
The repair is compacted by a roller and sealed with a layer of surface dressing.
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An I’ve had to have my suspension fixed four times in the last four years at a cost of £1000 +. The motorist gets hit the hardest for tax not to mention any council tax contributions towards the upkeep of local roads.
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Much of the damage in Telford is the result of failure to maintain adequate surface water drainage.
Blocked gullies lead to road bases becoming waterlogged – the first heavy frost then causes the surface to disintegrate.
There’s still a lot of truth in the old saying “a stitch in time saves nine” it doesn’t just apply to mothers of eight sewing up their husbands’ pyjamas…
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The council moaning about the cost of filling in pot holes which cause accidents and expensive damage to cars Solution reduce the council work force by 1% that should cover the cost
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I’d love to know where they spend that money because the roads around Telford are terrible. Have a look at the island as you come into the cinema/New Town House car park. The amount of pot holes, bald patches and cracks in the tarmac is disgusting.
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Are these the same councils that collected over £4 million in parking fees alone last year and receive most of their income from central government grants which motorists contribute £50,000,000,000 per year to.
I expect Shropshire council spends more than £870,000 per year on making upside down potholes in the roads they call speed humps.
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Repair the bloody things dumbo’s that is what we pay you for.
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Potholes are merely an indication of POOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION in the first place.
Somebody’s head should be “on the block.”
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not surprised as soon as they resurface a road some one comes along and digs it up leaving a mess these potholes are a danger to any cyclist or motorcyclist
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If thats how much it costs then thats how much it costs but could you try filling the odd one in..
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Most of the potholes have been caused by British Gas digging up roads everywhere to lay new pipes so surely British Gas should be asked to replace the road surfaces they have damaged rather than us council tax payers.
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I don’t know where they spend the money on filling in pot holes – I’ve been driving over the same ones for years! (well the last 2-3 anyway)
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It’s not British Gas or the Council that wear the roads out, it’s people driving cars, buses and lorries on them. If you stand in one place you’ll see just how much traffic is on a stretch. However, adequate drain clearing and sealing surfaces properly will increase longevity.
But it’s not all bad news. Last summer I reported a potholed junction near Bomere Heath which was quite dangerous when turning. The surface was repaired within a few weeks.
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