Fear over potholes after thaw

Councils across the Black Country and Staffordshire are bracing themselves for a flood of complaints about pothole-ravaged roads as the first of the reports start coming in.

Local authorities were forced to pay out millions in repairs and compensation after last winter's icy conditions damaged the region's roads. They are now being warned to brace themselves for the "worst ever pothole season".

Reports of potholes are already starting to come in but the true extent of the damage will not be known until the ice thaws out.

In Walsall, repair teams have been called to 42 different locations in the past two weeks. Seven groups of workmen take to the borough's streets every day to make repairs — at a cost of £6,000 a day.

Transport boss Councillor Tom Ansell said: "It's one of our priorities to keep traffic moving and icy weather can cause a serious headache to everyone. We fully understand that. It's why we allocate a tremendous amount of resources to fixing problems."

In Dudley, there have been 22 reports of potholes since November 30.

Council spokesman Chris Howes said: "We are continuing to monitor the roads throughout the borough."

Across Staffordshire, there have been 1,567 potholes since mid October.

A total of 1,377 holes, including 474 classed as priorities, have been filled.

Highways boss Councillor Mike Maryon said: "However, when the road temperatures fall below three degrees, the repairs are much less durable and there is no point in filling the potholes until the roads get above freezing."

Sandwell Council said there had only been a handful of reports in recent weeks but they are monitoring the roads closely.