Bumpy ride on the road riddled with 319 potholes

In a 400-yard stretch of Priory Road in East Yorkshire, drivers are having to dodge 319 potholes.

Hull City Council and East Riding Council, the authorities responsible for the busy commuter route between Hull and Cottingham, blame the worst cold snap in 30 years for the number of potholes. The damage occurs when water gets into cracks, freezes and expands.

Asphalt Industry Alliance director David Weeks said motorists are facing twice as many potholes than they were than in 2007. He said: “Money would be better spent on preventative maintenance by resurfacing whole roads instead of patch and repair.”

AA president Edmund King said: “Once again the fabric of our local roads is a major cause for concern, with surfaces crumbling and drivers and riders at risk of damage to their vehicles and even themselves.

“We have gone from a salt crisis to a hole crisis. We have indeed had a bad winter, but the state of our roads has visually worsened in the past few weeks.

“Ultimately, we will all pay more to once again patch and mend the potholes and then pay out compensation, rather than fixing the underlying poor condition.”

An East Riding Council spokesman said they’d continue to carry out temporary repairs in Priory Road, but it was unlikely any major work would be carried out until the weather improves.

The two councils expect to spend more than 10m on road repairs this winter.