Derbyshire council 'well aware' of deterioration of local roads

Derbyshire County Council is 'well aware' of the deterioration of local roads in recent weeks, according to its transport chief.
Potholes are causing misery for Derbyshire's road users.Potholes are causing misery for Derbyshire's road users.
Potholes are causing misery for Derbyshire's road users.

The authority insists it is stepping up efforts to fix Derbyshire's potholes after the worst winter weather to hit the county for 10 years.

Last December, the number of potholes listed for repair in Derbyshire was only 120 but by the beginning of March the number had risen to more than 3,000.

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Council crews have already brought this total down to 2,500 despite dozens of new potholes being reported every day.

Councillor Simon Spencer, the authority's cabinet members for highways, transport and infrastructure, said: "We are well aware of the deterioration of the county's roads over the last few weeks and I can assure Derbyshire residents that fixing them is a top priority for us.

"Bad weather has severely hampered our efforts over the past few weeks but now we can really get on with the job, helped by the lighter days so teams can work for longer.

"They will also be out repairing potholes at weekends until we feel we're on top of the problem.

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"We are throwing all we've got at this and we won't rest until the job is done."

Coun Spencer added: "I would ask our residents to please bear with us while we carry out the repairs and I'm confident that they will shortly begin to see a real difference in the roads.

"People can help by continuing to report potholes via our website so that we are aware of where they are and how serious they are.

"We are inspecting roads as fast as we can but we still need people to tell us so we can get on to them as soon as possible."

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According to the council, extra road worker gangs have been mobilised across the county and they will be working longer hours - including at weekends - to tackle potholes reported on the county's roads.

There will also be extra equipment including more 'hotboxes' which keep Tarmac warm and make it easier to transport around the county, and two Jetpatchers which will be used on mainly rural roads.

The council had already set aside £4million to spend on pothole repairs and last week this figure was boosted by just over £2m extra funding from the Government.