Hampshire Highways’ extra teams of Pothole Busters are out across the county tackling the worst of the damage caused to the roads by the recent severe cold snaps.
Councillor Roy Perry, Leader of Hampshire County, explained “Safety comes first – which is why we have extra gangs out on the ground, as soon as possible after the snow and cold weather, to start tackling potholes on our roads.
“Hampshire Highways gangs are using pre-prepared material, which doesn’t need any mixing on site, and is specially designed to work in cold and damp conditions. This means the gangs can fix more potholes each day than by conventional methods.
“However, these won’t all be long term repairs. For many years in Hampshire, we have been investing an extra £10 million annually into our planned maintenance Operation Resilience programme. This approach is more effective than reactive repairs, and is designed to make the roads more resilient to the impact of heavy traffic and severe weather. While it is successful in managing the condition of the roads, the money only goes so far, and the recent cold weather has certainly added to the damage and deterioration of the roads.
“We are supporting the Local Government Association in its calls to the Government to increase funding for local roads maintenance, so we can provide the standard of service Hampshire residents expect and deserve.”
Hampshire Highways looks after over 5,500 miles of road. Motorways and major trunk roads are the responsibility of Highways England.
Hampshire residents are encouraged to report potholes and road defects direct to the County Council at: www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/roadproblems
Hampshire County Council say reporting defects via a third party means it takes longer for reports to reach Hampshire Highways teams however you can also report potholes and road defects at the Fix My Street website as well as other non-highways issues.
