Shropshire Council vows to get on top of pothole problem
Motorists have today been assured by Shropshire Council that they are determined to improve the condition of Shropshire's roads.
Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transport, has said that as a driver and cyclist himself he shares in peoples frustrations of the poor condition of many of Shropshire's roads, which he says is a result of the cold wet winter weather, but is determined to 'sort things' as soon as possible.
Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, a highways authority is under an obligation to keep their highways in a good state of repair. Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980 imposes a duty upon the authority to carry out regular inspections of the highways in our area for the purpose of maintenance.
Shropshire Council has been facing criticism over the state of the county's roads and in January 2020 hired a pothole consultant, who was reportedly paid a £1,000-a-day to improve the service.
Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transport said:
“Our highways officers are busy working with our contractor Kier to treat the exceptionally high number of potholes that have appeared recently. This time of year is always challenging, but we have also experienced more flooding and have had the coldest January in 10 years, which all impacts our roads. It’s also important to remember that the crews that treat potholes are also having to deal with flooding issues, gritting the roads, and working on Covid safety measures in our towns."
Improvements being made
Mr Davenport says improvements are being made: “We want Shropshire to have the best possible roads and we’ve begun to implement an ambitious plan that will see significant improvements to the way that the council manages and maintains the county’s roads. This includes improvements in the ways of working to ensure that more potholes are being fixed permanently the first time, and a greater focus on proactive work such as resurfacing and surface dressing to help prevent potholes forming in the first place."
Last year the council said it invested over £6m carrying out an unprecedented amount of resurfacing of local roads, as well as surface dressing 171 miles of roads – twice the amount carried out in previous years.
To report a pothole go to www.shropshire.gov.uk or call 0345 678 9006.
