An unprecedented number of potholes and road defects have been fixed across a 12-month period, according to the latest figures from Hampshire County Council
From April 2023 to April 2024, 180,909 repairs were delivered, marking a 37 per cent increase.
Councillor Lulu Bowerman, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Waste said: “We understand that potholes remain a significant concern for Hampshire’s residents, impacting daily journeys and overall satisfaction whether travelling to work, school, running a business or enjoying all our county has to offer.
“One year ago, we allocated an additional £22.5 million to tackle this issue and make our roads stronger. This two-year investment is enabling us to deploy more resources dedicated to promptly fixing potholes, addressing the damage caused by cycles of wet and freezing winter weather. Our latest figures show that repairs have increased by 37 per cent, compared to the previous 12 months*, demonstrating that this investment is paying dividends.
“With unprecedented volumes of potholes being reported to us, Hampshire isn’t alone in facing the challenge of keeping local roads in a good condition. The impact of colder, wetter winters takes a heavy toll on the roads, and higher costs due to inflation means that every year we must make our budget stretch further – for example, it now costs the taxpayer around 44% more to repair a pothole.
“Over the summer months, our highways teams will continue to make the most of the money we have available, and the generally drier, warmer days to support our priority focus on fixing large numbers of potholes, applying surface treatments to smooth our highways, and undertaking road maintenance on larger stretches of road across the county.”
PIC-HAMPSHIRE CC
