Fixing Somerset potholes like 'trying to darn a pair of fishnet tights'
The council is receiving daily reports of large numbers of potholes emerging across its road network
Somerset Council’s approach to fixing potholes has been likened to “trying to darn a pair of fishnet tights” by an opposition councillor.
The council is receiving daily reports of large numbers of potholes emerging across its road network, following the cold snap in early-January and the persistent wet weather in the ensuing weeks.
Councillor Lucy Trimnell, one of two Conservative councillors for Wincanton and Bruton, said Somerset’s road network was “rapidly deteriorating” and urged the council to take a more proactive approach to ensure motorists were not hit by costly repair bills.
The council said that it was dealing with “unprecedented” demand and that additional resources were being allocated to ensure potholes were fixed quickly and competently.
Ms Trimnell raised the issue when the council’s executive committee met in Taunton on Wednesday morning (February 11).
She said: “Potholes are costing Somerset residents hundreds of pounds in car repair costs, and the situation is getting worse across the county.
“In Wincanton and Bruton, people have been telling me they have faced costs of anywhere between £200 and £800 for repairs to tyres, wheels and even suspension components
“The A359 between Bruton and Nunney is in a particularly bad state, and it would take a long time to report all the defects.
“Simply carrying out pothole repairs is like trying to darn a pair of fishnet tights. The dangerous, winding, narrow road needs a complete resurfacing.
“It’s not a safe place to stop with a blown tyre, with high verges that cut out into the edge of the road – you just have to wait in your car and hope you don’t get hit.”
The A359 is the main road linking Bruton to the A361 at the Nunney Catch roundabout, providing onward travel to Shepton Mallet, Frome and the A36 towards Bath.
Ms Trimnell (who stood in the Frome and East Somerset constituency at the last general election) said that many of her constituents were actively avoiding using this road due to the sheer number of potholes that have emerged.
She said: “Residents are telling me that they are reporting potholes and receiving feedback that they will be repaired, only for the rain to wash away the white paint and therefore no repairs take place.
“Sometimes in a cluster of potholes, only one or two are repaired and often repairs break up within months, sometimes weeks of being carried out.
“Would it not be more cost-effective to repair all potholes in the vicinity rather than fixing one at a time?
“People are being told on reporting defects that damaged road surfaces such as the A359 are not dangerous when they quite clearly are – why is this happening?
“Why are so many completed repairs failing again, sometimes within weeks? Does anyone monitor the quality of repairs to ensure they are effective?”
Ms Trimnell invited Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, to take a drive with her along the A359 to witness the damage first-hand, adding: “Bring a Thermos flask of tea and I’ll make you cake.”
Mr Wilkins (Liberal Democrat, Curry Rivel and Langport) said the council’s highway contractors were working flat out to fix the damage caused by Storm Chandra and related weather events, and urged residents to be patient following large volumes of reports being received.
He said: “As with other parts of the country, the recent cycle of wet and freezing conditions has led to a sudden deterioration in many roads.
“We are also dealing with a major incident, triggered by Storm Chanra, and in the past few weeks an unprecedented number of road defects (which will include potholes, blocked drains and other highways issues) have been reported, and our highways team is currently working hard to repair these.
“We do pro-actively inspect all our roads, but we also rely on the public to report problems to us. This is because we have got 4,100 miles of roads to look at – which is the equivalent of driving between here and Kathmandu.”
Somerset residents can report potholes or other issues on their roads by visiting www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/report-a-problem-on-the-road.
Somerset’s road network was ranked as being among the best maintained in mainland Britain by the Department for Transport (DfT) in mid-January – before much of the worst of the wet weather had hit the county.
Mr Wilkins continued: “It is really important that potholes (which are forming so quickly at the moment) get reported by members of the public, and we do work our hardest to get to them.
“We aim to repair potholes on a time-scale of between 2 hours and 28 days of them being reported, depending on the level of risk and their location.
“It’s not always possible to meet these time-frames during time of high demand, but we do prioritise our response based upon the level of risk to the public, and we have doubled the number of gangs on the ground dealing with these issues.
“It’s not practical or affordable to repair all other potholes in the vicinity of a reported safety defect – although our officers can instruct multiple repairs where it is clear that this would be the most cost-effective response.
“Often, where there are multiple potholes on a section of road, there are plans to resurface or surface dress the road as part of our annual road maintenance programmes.”