More Government Cash to Help Fix Bideford Potholes

Bideford pothole sufferers will be pleased to hear that the Government has announced it will be giving local authorities more funds for fixing potholes.

Local

authorities will be informed next month of the share they will receive

from the £100 million earmarked to deal with winter damage caused to

the nation’s roads.

Devon County Council received £3.6million last

year in a similar Government handout. That was part of £11million spent

by Devon last year on reactive repairs and resurfacing of highways

damaged by the severe weather of last winter.

A record number of almost 200,000 potholes were fixed on Devon’s 8,000 mile road network in 2010, compared with 40,000 in 2009.

Councillor

Stuart Hughes, Devon County Cabinet Member for Highways and

Transportation, said: “I’m pleased that the Government has recognised

that we need to continue with a sustained effort of repairs on our

roads, following three consecutive harsh winters, and I have personally

raised this issue with Transport Secretary Philip Hammond and Transport

Minister Norman Baker in recent months. We have seen yet more damage

appearing on our road network after the prolonged cold spell we endured

in December, and our teams are continuing to respond to that.

“Repairing

potholes remains an uphill battle in our county, simply because we have

more roads to maintain than any other authority in the country, so a

fair share of this money is much needed in Devon. We would hope to get

at least the same, if not more than the £3.6million we received last

year. Whatever the amount, it will be spent wisely and will be put to

good use in Devon.”

Devon County Council has earmarked more than

£7million to be spent on pothole repairs for the coming financial year

as part of its ongoing repair programme.

Potholes and safety defects on the county’s roads can be reported online at www.devon.gov.uk or by calling 0845 155 1004.