15/03/2012
£90m Pothole Repair Bill
Councils last year spent £90 million repairing 1.7 million pothole, according to a report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance. However the report also says it will still take more than a decade to clear the backlog of work.
Local authorities have also said that while repair costs have come down a further £10bn will need to spent bringing roads up to standard.
Potholes are formed when water runs through cracks in road surfaces, freezes and then expands, causing the surface to rupture and creating a void which later caves in under the weight of vehicles.
After the weather conditions in winter 2011 councils received £200m in emergency funds. However, the AIA report suggested two-thirds of local authorities had been unable to make good the damage caused by the cold weather of 2010-11, despite the emergency funding and a milder winter this year.
The number of complaints to local authorities about potholes increased by 10% last year but the AIA have said bad weather conditions would not create potholes on its own.
"These disastrous figures result from decades of underfunding and enforced short-term planning," AIA chairman Alan Mackenzie said.
(H)
Local authorities have also said that while repair costs have come down a further £10bn will need to spent bringing roads up to standard.
Potholes are formed when water runs through cracks in road surfaces, freezes and then expands, causing the surface to rupture and creating a void which later caves in under the weight of vehicles.
After the weather conditions in winter 2011 councils received £200m in emergency funds. However, the AIA report suggested two-thirds of local authorities had been unable to make good the damage caused by the cold weather of 2010-11, despite the emergency funding and a milder winter this year.
The number of complaints to local authorities about potholes increased by 10% last year but the AIA have said bad weather conditions would not create potholes on its own.
"These disastrous figures result from decades of underfunding and enforced short-term planning," AIA chairman Alan Mackenzie said.
(H)
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