“The symptom of an underfunded network” – AIA Chair responds to Transport Secretary’s pothole incident
David Giles, Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), has responded to yesterday’s news that Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s car had to be towed after hitting a pothole. “Heidi Alexander’s experience is unfortunately one that is shared by many and highlights, yet again, the woeful condition of our local roads. Thankfully it was only the […]
York prepares year-round pothole repair programme
York City Council has promised to undertake a ‘year-round’ programme of road repairs, amid Government plans for tougher maintenance rules. City of York Council environment lead Dave Atkinson said long-term improvements would be made to roads this year in a wide-ranging programme of repairs across the city centre, suburbs and villages, says York Mix. Cllr […]
Heidi Alexander’s car damaged by giant pothole
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s car has had to be taken off the road after hitting a huge pothole in Oxfordshire. The Mini Cooper had to be towed away after hitting a “crater worthy of the Moon”, according to The Sun newspaper. The report says her car struck the gaping fissure late at night as she […]
ADEPT responds to new Government pothole announcement
David Shepherd, Chair of the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT)’s Transport & Connectivity Board, has issued a response to the government’s recent announcement on pothole investment. “We welcome the government’s commitment to accountability and to ensuring investment in local roads delivers real improvements for drivers,” he said. “Multi-year funding certainty […]
Councils face new rules for spending pothole funding
Councils will face new rules on how they spend funding to fix potholes and maintain local roads, under new requirements set out by the government. Under the new measures, local highway authorities that fail to demonstrate they are maintaining roads effectively could lose around a third of their £1.6 billion funding for the next year. […]
Potholes are ‘pushing up repair bills and insurance claims’ for low‑income drivers
Potholes across the UK are contributing to rising vehicle repair costs and changing the landscape of motor insurance for lower‑income drivers. According to Reveela, briefings from councils and insurers’ own files show a spike in pothole damage claims, lengthening settlement times and tougher underwriting criteria. Here we lay out the newest evidence, profile real drivers’ […]
Work to fix Blackpool potholes has opposite effect
A Blackpool resident has claimed that work carried out to fix potholes on his street has left it in a poorer condition. Kristian Perry, of Halton Gardens in Marton, said the road now floods during rain showers, when it didn’t previously, because of debris left behind in the drain gullies and that there are no […]
Vital ‘blood bikes’ damaged by potholes
Severn Freewheelers, a charity that delivers blood and medicine to hospitals, has said its work is being put at risk by potholes. The charity’s nine blood bikes that operate around Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and the charity says that more than half of them have been damaged this year due to poor road surfaces, says […]
UPDATE: Biker’s death caused by pothole was “completely avoidable”
Am inquest into the death of 43-year-old Andrew Freakley has heard how the biker died after hitting a pothole that Stoke-on-Trent Council had been aware of for four months. The father-of-two was thrown into an oncoming car after hitting a crater in the road on 25 September last year as he rode his Yamaha motorcycle […]
Islington to spend £24m to tackle potholes
The London Borough of Islington is to invest an additional £12m over the next four years to help with repairs to potholes, upgrading road surfaces and improving street accessibility across Islington. This is in addition to the £11.7m already approved for the next four years and will mean local people benefit from safer and smoother streets. […]