THE LONG WAIT TO REPAIR POTHOLES

ROAD REPAIR TARGETS IN COVENTRY ARE LONGER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE UK, SAY RAC

MOTORISTS in Coventry have to wait longer than anywhere else in the UK to see potholes repaired five working days according to research by a leading motoring organisation.

That compares to places like Cumbria and Flintshire where roadworkers act within half an hour, findings from the RAC Foundation show. A further 16 councils around the country aim to patch things up within an hour.

But the council has disputed the RAC Foundation’s report and says it usually gets to dangerous potholes with two hours.

Neil Cowper, Head of Highways at the council, said: “We were surprised to see the RAC Foundation coverage on potholes as we have a good track record on addressing road repairs in the city.

“In fact, in any situation where a pothole is a danger to pedestrians and other traffic users we act as soon as we can get officers to the site, which will usually be within two hours.

“There have been many cases where, on investigation, a pothole has been coned off immediately and an officer has stayed on site to ensure that the area is made safe.

“In Coventry we are also fortunate to have an internal labour force which also speeds up our response - where there are particular concerns. We have a team of inspectors who monitor our roads and pavements and they respond quickly to reports of serious defects..

“We have spoken to colleagues at the RAC to advise them of the error in the way they have compiled their statistics. We will continue to encourage local residents to report potholes to the team to assist us in managing and maintaining the 870km of roads in our city.”

But the Telegraph reported in November that the council’s own website said that it aimed to repair potholes more than 40mm deep within five working days - as the RAC Foundation claims.

The RAC Foundation said its figures are based on data provided by 190 of the 207 local highway authorities in Britain, with response times influenced by how many miles of road a council has to manage and the size of the council area.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “It is understandable that large rural authorities set themselves longer response times, simply as a result of having to travel further to effect repairs, but motorists might still be surprised to see such a wide variation across the country.

“Those particularly vulnerable to potholes - cyclists and motorcyclists - might ask whether the speed of pothole investigation should be based solely on the risk to users.”

These are the councils with the quickest target response times for serious potholes: IMMEDIATELY:

n Flintshire

n Cumbria

n South Lanarkshire

30 MINUTES:

n Harrow

ONE HOUR:

n Slough

n Walsall

n Sheffield

n Rochdale

n Bracknell Forest n Hartlepool n Warwickshire

n Swindon n Worcestershire

n Derby

n Ealing

n Bexley n Birmingham

n Stoke on Trent

n Wirral

n Isle of Anglesey

These are the councils with the slowest response times to serious potholes:

FIVE DAYS:

n Coventry

72 HOURS:

n Leicestershire

48 HOURS:

n Cornwall

n Isles of Scilly

36 HOURS:

n Bournemouth

Almost all authorities set minimum sizes for potholes before they will take action.

These vary from between 20-30mm deep at 37 councils to at least 50mm at 26 others.

One in five local roads in England and Wales is in a poor condition, and the frequency of road resurfacing has declined, a report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance warned.

Damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels are among the most common vehicle problems caused by potholes.

The AA has called for learner drivers to have to prove they can spot potholes to pass the driving test.

Martin Tett, the Local Government Association’s transport spokesman, said: “Keeping roads safe for all users is one of the most important jobs councils do and is reflected in the fact that local authorities are fixing a pothole every 21 seconds, with priority given to repairing potholes that pose the greatest risk based on their size and location, as recognised in this report.”

He added that councils need “consistent and fairer government investment in local road maintenance”.