More pothole reports are needed

The average cost of repairing a pothole is a little over £50 but the bill for damage caused to a Ferrari by one pothole amounted to £10,000. It’s a sum that doesn’t look good for the city council or the taxpayer. It may well be an extreme example, and it is important to point out that it was the only pothole damage claim made against the council in the last year. However an appeal to our readers via social media was bringing in many examples of very poor road surfaces and potholes as the PT went to press. It is a gargantuan task for the local authority to check all local roads... that is impractical. It is vital therefore that motorists do report potholes as they occur. The council fixed thousands and had reports of around 500 - but clearly there are many still out there. It’s in everyone’s interests for the worst potholes to be tackled quickly, to prevent accidents and to prevent any more disastrous drains on the public purse like this one.

Debt we all owe

As the PT went to press the full extent of the terror attack on Parliament was emerging. An attacker crashed into members of the public in his car, killing and injuring innocent bystanders before charging at the entrance to Parliament, killing a police officer before being shot dead. A deeply shocking incident at the heart of the nation’s capital and one which reminds us of the risks our police and public servants face on our behalf. Our thoughts are with the dead and injured and all their loved ones.