Drive to repair more potholes

NEARLY 1,500 potholes have been fixed across Staffordshire in the past month, says the county council as it steps up its repair programme.

The drive comes after the authority announced it was investing an extra £15.5 million in the county’s roads.

Almost 400 defects have been fixed across the county over the past week, with activities set to increase further in May thanks to the good weather.

Last year, crews repaired more than 35,000 road defects across the county. This year, the extra investment will see around 9,000 more potholes fixed across the county.

David Williams, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Good roads are important for this council, for communities and for businesses, not just for getting us to where we need to be, but in underpinning a growing economy and supporting better access to jobs, education and housing.

“As we move into May, our maintenance work steps up a gear so we can make the most of the good weather.

“We are pulling out all the stops to not just complete hotspot repairs, but also gully cleaning and surface dressing to ensure issues are dealt with.

“Maintaining and improving Staffordshire’s 6,000km of highways is very challenging, especially in light of rising costs and increasing road usage.

“The extra investment we have made in our roads will help keep our roads in good condition, as well as funding improvement projects that will help the connectivity of our county.”

You can find out which defects have been fixed, and where, by visiting www.staffordshire.gov.uk/ potholes.

Defects can be reported via www.staffordshire.gov.uk/ reportit.