£10m repairs bill after winter weather wreaks roads havoc

EAST Riding Council is facing a bill of nearly £10m to repair roads damaged by winter weather.

Its network, which is one of the biggest in the country, covering more than 2,000 miles, was extensively damaged by the 2007 floods and has suffered further structural failures as a result of two harsh winters.

The authority now estimates the total cost of repairs to potholes and cracked surfaces to be about 9.7m.

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The council's Cabinet will meet on Tuesday next week to discuss plans to set aside a further 1.6m to fund the repairs, after allocating 650,000 in its budget in February.

This is in addition to more than 1m given by the Department for Transport to the East Riding from a national pot of 100m set up to assist local authorities repair roads damaged by the weather.

The council said it recognised how important the network was to the region's communities and economy, as it carries more than 26 million journeys a year.

Council leader Stephen Parnaby said: "Having a good road network is important to keep the East Riding moving and working.

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"It is an issue of great concern to residents and I want to reassure them that it is also a priority for the council and we will put in as many resources as we have at our disposal to maintain the network."

The council will continue to seek funding to meet the 6.5m shortfall, which a spokesman described as a "major issue".

A report to Cabinet outlining the case for funding said: "The network is under increasing pressure following increasing traffic flows, heavier loading, and more recently the severe weather conditions the area has experienced.

"The storms of 2007 and early 2008 left a permanent mark on the highway asset, leaving the network susceptible to future aggressive weather conditions. During the last two winters the area has been subjected to lengthy and extreme winter conditions.

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"The freezing temperatures working with water in the highway surfaces caused damage, which has led to an increased number of potholes and defects and local structural failures."

An inspection in March found there were more than double the number of potholes usually caused by freezing conditions, increasing the number of insurance claims to the council.

The report said this had led to a maintenance programme "beyond the scope of routine repair and available funding in combination with previously planned urgent repairs".

The council said it wanted to complete as many of the repairs as possible before next winter.

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At the end of January, the poor state of Priory Road, a busy commuter route that links Hull with Cottingham and which the East Riding shares responsibility for with Hull Council, led to its being dubbed one of the most badly maintained in Yorkshire.

Drivers were having to negotiate 319 potholes in a 400-yard stretch close to the entrance to the headquarters of Humberside Police.

The issue prompted motoring organisation the AA to call for more investment in the "underlying poor condition" of roads instead of filling in potholes as they arose.

Most of Priory Road has since been repaired.

The council is pressing ahead with other repairs and has recently carried out a 300,000, four-week programme of repairs on a 3.7 mile stretch of the B1246 between the villages of North Dalton and Warter.

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This included an asphalt overlay being put on some sections, structural patch repairs and the reinstatement of road markings.

The council said it would add a surface dressing treatment in the area later this year to complete the work.