Telford council repairs 26,500 potholes in two years

Telford & Wrekin Council has repaired 26,500 potholes over the last two years, it was today revealed. Roads in the borough were left in desperate need of extra investment after two crippling Arctic winters took their toll.

In a bid to combat the problem, the council launched its Pothole Busters campaign sending out rapid response teams to fix reported potholes.

The cost of this year's campaign was £180,000 and in 2010 it cost £120,000.

Following the success of the campaign, the new Telford & Wrekin Labour administration today vowed to make the issue a top priority in its budget.

Councilor Hilda Rhodes, council cabinet member for environment, transport and community protection, said: "We recognise the state of the roads in the borough and that serious investment is needed to improve these, and we are seeking to address this as part of our emergency budget which will be announced later this summer."

Councillor Shaun Davies, council cabinet member for co-operative council and partnership, said: "We will look to address the imbalance in some departmental budgets, including transport. We are happy with the hard work put in by the Pothole Busting team and it is likely we will need them on hand if more freezing weather is on its way."

In March, Telford & Wrekin chiefs were given a £10 million boost to improve road surfaces in 2011/2012, but they may appeal to the Government for more cash.