Perfectly formed pothole on recently resurfaced road 'not caused by bad workmanship' - council

Shropshire Council say it is investigating the pothole and is looking at repairing it as soon as possible. It has been reported by at least one member of the public on the Fix My Street app.

A spokesperson for Shropshire Council said it regrets that a pothole has formed on the road so soon after it was surfaced.

"This road was surfaced just over a year ago and we regret that a pothole has since formed," said the spokesperson.

"However, this can happen due to various reasons outside our control and is not due to bad workmanship."

The council says potholes are typically formed by three elements: surface cracks, water, and vehicular/traffic loading.

"Sometimes - due to underlying issues that were not known at the time of resurfacing, or that appear after surfacing - small cracks form on the surface. Over time the loading from traffic, especially heavy goods vehicles, causes these cracks to widen," the spokesperson adds.

"Due to wet weather – especially over the winter months - water then seeps through the surface of the carriageway into underlying layers, causing further deterioration.

"During the colder temperatures, this water then freezes and expands, widening the cracks and leading to further deterioration.

"We’re investigating this pothole and are looking at repairing it asap."

The council announced in September that the road would be resurfaced. It was carried out by Shropshire Council and its partners in the Shropshire Highways Alliance, Kier and WSP, and was carried out overnight, from 8pm to 6am.