£3.8m Wyre Forest road surfacing scheme under way

Work to resurface dozens of roads around Wyre Forest as part of a £3.8 million improvement scheme aimed at reducing the number of potholes is getting under way.

Around 350 routes around Worcestershire are being repaired during the programme of surfacing being carried out by the county council.

Crews have already resurfaced roads in Evesham and Pershore and will now be travelling around Wyre Forest.

Streets will include Worcester Road, Sutton Road and Chester Road South, in Kidderminster, and Minster Road, in Stourport.

Transport bosses say surface dressing can cut the number of potholes that could potentially form in the future. They say the process is quick, cheaper than other methods of repair and helps to keep traffic disruption to a minimum.

Surfaces are treated by a coating of bitumen to waterproof roads before one or more layers of stone chipping are added to restore skid resistance.

Cabinet member for highways and transport Councillor John Smith said: "This is the biggest surface dressing programme we've ever undertaken in Worcestershire and I'm pleased to see it's now started. The number of potholes on our roads have dropped substantially but we're not getting complacent and by doing this work now it should prevent repairs being necessary in the future.

"This type of improvement allows us to catch roads half way through their life-span meaning they will last longer. It's good news for those using the roads as this is a proven and effective method of improvement, whilst at the same time, it offers better value for money for the taxpayer."

By Heather Large