Council prioritises potholes

Over 1,500 potholes in 366 locations have been repaired by North Somerset Council in April thanks to the use of specialist equipment.

And the repairs will continue throughout May with an average of 400 holes being filled each week, depending on the weather the council has said.

NSC have deployed a spray injection patcher – a specialist piece of equipment that uses high velocity air to clean debris then sprays material to fill holes instantly. Repairs take around two minutes to complete resulting in less inconvenience for road users.

In addition to this they say they have also fixed an extra 399 potholes using traditional methods, emptied 2,430 gullies and hand patched 772 square metres of road during April.

A spokesperson for North Somerset Council said;

”The rise in potholes follows one of the wettest January and Februarys on record and, like councils across the country, we have been facing a backlog.

The RAC estimate that there are an average of six potholes on every mile of road in England and Wales. 

We received more than 1,316 reports between November and January, compared with 530 during the same period the year before.  

While the winter was relatively mild with few frosts, prolonged wet weather can still cause significant damage to road surfaces. As roads age, they can become more porous, allowing water to seep into the structure and weaken it. 

We maintain around 683 miles of roads and 373 miles of pavements. It would take an estimated £58m to bring the network up to standard but, with an annual government allocation of £7.4m for maintenance, we continue to face significant pressures.  

This funding covers not only road repairs such as resurfacing and surface dressing but also street lighting and structures. We invest a further £3m each year in reactive work, including gully clearing, pothole repairs and winter gritting. 

Last year major maintenance was completed on 22 miles (35km) of road which accounts for about three per cent of our entire network.  

Prevention is always better than cure but there simply isn’t enough money to do everything needed.”

You can report by potholes online or via the North Somerset Council app.