Express & Star

Fixed! 3,328 Wolverhampton potholes repaired by next day

More than 3,000 reports of potholes were lodged with Wolverhampton Council last year – and all of them were repaired by the end of the next working day, according to new figures.

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The local authority says it was notified about 3,328 potholes between April 2013 and February 2014.

All of them were inspected and given either a permanent or interim repair by the end of the next working day.

The details have been published in a new weekly online pothole report which the authority has launched to reassure drivers it is committed to taking action when it comes to tackling potholes.

Councillor John Reynolds, cabinet member for city services, said: "Wolverhampton City Council is very proactive when it comes to repairing defects in the city's roads.

"Potholes are a major consternation for motorists and I'm proud that, not only is the council demonstrating that it is dealing with the issue promptly, it is also dedicated to fixing the problem first time wherever possible.

"Repairing potholes properly at the first opportunity, rather than doing an interim repair and then going back later to fix it properly, is very important as it means the council only needs to do it once.

"This not only saves taxpayers' money, but also means the council can cut the amount of time it spends repairing Wolverhampton's roads which reduces disruption to motorists, too.

Councillor Reynolds added 95 per cent of the potholes reported over the period were given an immediate permanent repair.

He said: "The only time the council is unable to do a permanent repair first time is if it needs to put in temporary traffic lights or has to close a road to enable the work to take place – in which case it carries out an interim repair and makes arrangements to return to finish the job within 28 days."

The news comes after Staffordshire County Council announced in March that it would invest £2.1million in repairing 7,000 extra potholes.

The authority said it was drafting in two extra pothole-blitzing machines to tackle potholes and improve road surfaces in the county, alongside the two it already had.

The money – £2,131,285 in total – was awarded to the county council by the Government, following the wettest winter on record in parts of the country.

People can check how many potholes have been reported and fixed on a weekly basis by visiting www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/potholerepair

Anyone who spots a pothole can report it via City Direct on 01902 551155 or by emailing city.direct@wolverhampton.gov.uk

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