Fed-up residents ‘fill in danger potholes’
FED up residents are taking it upon themselves to arrange pothole repairs, a councillor has claimed.
Ramsbottom councillor Rob Hodkinson claimed road repairs to ‘dangerous potholes’ have been carried out on Nuttall Lane - before Bury council got round to carrying out remedial works.
Coun Hodkinson said the council had promised to undertake repairs around the week of March 19 but this never materialised. Roads bosses said their repairs on Nuttall Lane were due to be carried out this week.
Coun Hodkinson said he inspected the road in March and the road was ‘a complete mess’.
He said: “Nuttall Lane is the only access road for around 1,000 homes on the Whittingham Drive and St Andrews estates.
“Large crater-like potholes have been reported numerous times over the last few weeks. One of the largest areas of concern raised to me by residents is damage to vehicles caused by these potholes.
“In my view, that is simply unacceptable. It appears that now, a local resident, or residents, have actually gone ahead and filled in some of the worst potholes themselves over the last weekend as they are simply fed up of the council’s delays.”
He added: “We cannot have a situation where residents are so angry about the state of the roads that they are having to resort to filling them in themselves.
“The council should ensure that reports of potholes from residents are actioned at the earliest opportunity to mitigate the danger they pose to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
“Far too often, potholes and issues on the highway are reported by ourselves as councillors and residents too, and nothing happens. Weeks and months can go by without repair. There should also be better communication with residents about pothole filling and maintaining roads.”
A spokesman for Bury Council said: “The good news is that Nuttall Lane is scheduled to be repaired this week (week beginning April 9).
“The council is spending an extra £10 million on carrying out a number of major road repair schemes, the first two of which, in Ramsbottom and Tottington, have already started.
“The council has also brought forward £250,000 to spend on potholes this year, on top of the planned £500,000, and has invested in new machinery which will allow more highways repairs than before to be carried out.”