PROMISE OF ‘BLITZ’

A KCC spokesman said: “We are one of the largest local authorities in England, with over 5,000 miles of road network.

“Our low figures for ‘successful’ claim figures reflect a low level of liability because of our improved fault reporting and repairs.

“Councils across the country cannot be held liable for a defect they are not aware of, as set out by government legislation.

“We may not be aware of a particular pothole either because it has not been reported or it has not been picked up during inspection and maintenance. We work hard to maintain our roads to help prevent problems and potholes in the future.

“Resurfacing roads is an essential part to maintaining our 5,400-mile road network for longer and we schedule in planned work, where necessary, each year, usually during warmer months.

“Our resurfacing programme is published on Kent.gov and our programme is based on road condition data.

“This includes regular inspections, annual surveys using specialist equipment, and reports from councillors, parish councils, community groups and residents.

“Our inspectors regularly check for defects but we encourage people to help us identify any problems and report them via our customer friendly online reporting tool at www.kent.gov.uk/roads-andtravel/report-a-problem

“Once reported, pothole repairs are prioritised based on the risk to the road user – however, all will be programmed to be completed within a month. The council is spending an additional £2.5 million on pothole repairs this year.

“The pothole blitz will see six local providers operating in two districts, and each will dedicate two pothole gangs per district to ensure that work is very locally responsive.”