State of Shropshire roads getting worse, figures confirm

About one in every 14 miles of main road in the Telford and Wrekin borough also needs repairing.

Council-run roads were surveyed in the 12 months to March 2021 and classed as "red" if they should be considered for maintenance.

Figures from the Department of Transport show nine per cent of A roads in Shropshire were put in this worst category – up from four per cent in 2019-20.

In Telford, the figures rose from two per cent to seven over the same period, and in both areas exceeded the national average.

The data also showed that 14 per cent of B and C roads in Shropshire, and two per cent in Telford and Wrekin, were also in need of work.

A recent AA survey indicated that nine out of 10 drivers want the Government to heavily invest in fixing local roads.

The organisation’s head of roads policy, Jack Cousens, said: “While the Government claims road conditions are ‘stable’, the harsh reality is that they are stuck in a rut.

“Road users don’t have to travel too far from home to see a plethora of potholes, fractured tarmac, worn away surfaces and faded road markings which make driving and cycling uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst.”

In July, Shropshire Council highway bosses wrote an open letter to residents addressing the poor state of the county's roads.

They said the authority plans to invest at least an extra £40 million into the roads maintenance budget over the next four years.

Last month, the council said more than 15,000 potholes had been dealt with since April, with more being repaired every day.

Methods include the innovative new Texpatch process, which is being used to treat urban roads and provides a longer-lasting, smoother, neater finish compared to traditional pothole repairs.

A DfT spokesman says the Government is investing over £5 billion in roads maintenance over this Parliament.