Government pledges extra £100m to fix winter potholes
The last of the frost and snow may have long since thawed but some good may come yet from the sub-zero winter suffered by motorists in the UK.
With the severe weather at the end of 2010 leaving many local roads in a sorry state, the Government has announced it will make at least an extra £100 million available to mend potholes.
The extra funding comes on top of the £831 million already in place for councils to maintain their roads and the £3 billion committed by the Government over the next four years.
Making the announcement earlier today, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, said he is determined to see the damage caused by the harsh winter fixed as quickly as possible.
He commented: “Millions of motorists across the country have their daily drives ruined by potholes and the awful winter weather we had this year is only going to make that problem worse.
“That is why, despite the tough financial position we are in, we are going to give councils over £100 million extra to help carry out much needed repairs to England’s roads.”
Colin Peters, Head of Marketing at The Fuelcard Company, said it was about time: “News of the additional funding is indeed welcome, yet why has it taken so long for the Government to respond to the concerns of commercial drivers and local authorities to address these vital repairs?”
Commercial drivers were being punished as a result, stressed Mr Peters: “Commercial drivers are already footing the bill for the dire state of the nation’s roads with statistics showing over £473m was spent in the last year just to repair their wheels and tyres, nearly £100 million more than in 2009.”
Edmund King, AA President, added: “We have to keep up the battle against this blight which damages cars and risks road safety, especially for those on two wheels.”
Potholes are blamed for one in five mechanical failures on UK roads, costing British drivers an estimated £320m each year.
Mr Hammond stated: “This money should make a real difference to the millions of drivers who are fed up with having to continually battle against dangerous potholes, giving them safer and smoother journeys.”
Every local authority has a responsibility to properly maintain their roads and individual councils will receive funds based on the condition and amount of roads they are responsible for.
Potholes occur when water freezes in small cracks in the road, expanding to form a larger cavity.
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