Region's councils hit by £11m pothole bill

It is estimated councils across the region have spent in excess of 11.2m fixing potholes so far this year and some are still dealing with holes caused by last winter's freezing conditions. On top of this one authority, North Yorkshire County Council, says it needs more than 25m to fix "accelerated damage" to its roads, including potholes, caused by the cold snap.

There were warnings yesterday that the problem was simply a symptom of a lack of maintenance and investment in local roads.

Figures obtained by the Yorkshire Post suggest it would take nine years to clear all the necessary maintenance backlog, including pothole repairs, resurfacing and other works, in the region.

The figures, from the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which surveyed local authorities across the country, shows on average there is a shortfall in structural road budgets of 8.83m per authority in the Yorkshire region, while nationally the figure is 5.6m and the picture is set to get worse as public spending cuts loom.

There is also evidence that the number of potholes has led to an increase in car damage reported by motorists, while they are also a safety concern for cyclists.

In information supplied under the Freedom of Information Act some councils said they had still a backlog of repairs, although some stressed they could not say if this was linked to winter's cold snap.

The regional director of the Institution of Civil Engineers Yorkshire and the Humber, David Tattersall, said: "There is a backlog and this is not just due to the past winter but is an accumulation of reduced maintenance over a number of years.

"The past winter brought out the weaknesses that resulted from previous lack of maintenance. Poor roads are of concern because they affect nearly every citizen and business. Effective transport is essential for a civilised nation and the economy is adversely affected when this deteriorates."

The previous Government made cash available to help councils fill the holes and some say they have money in place to finish the repairs.

Others cannot say if they have enough cash set aside yet, but Rotherham Council says it still has to find 450,000 to meet larger, more permanent repairs.

AIA chairman Colin Loveday, warned last night that local roads would struggle to cope with the double whammy of spending cuts and another harsh winter.

"If we cut back and there's another cold winter like the one that we have just had it's going to get very expensive to keep things running. We have been papering over the cracks and we will soon be in a position where there are no cracks to paper over," he added.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said the problems had been caused by "an exceptionally sustained period of bad weather."

He said the Government had provided 100m to help authorities deal with potholes caused by the cold snap. But he said such was the scale of the damage that authorities have had to prioritise repairs and some were still dealing with a backlog.

He said councils appreciated this was an issue of concern to the public.