Drivers' fear 'dangerous' tram track bed potholes

Potholes along parts of Sheffield's tram network are posing a danger to drivers and pedestrians, it has been claimed.

One business owner in Hillsborough said the road outside his shop was like a "patchwork quilt" after repeated efforts to patch up the route.

Meanwhile, Ian Horner, Liberal Democrat councillor for Beighton, said people were "fed up of hearing that something is going to happen" and called for action.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), which is responsible for maintaining the rails and track beds, said it would be carrying out "significant" work on affected roads this year.

Dennis Law, who runs a record shop on Holme Lane, said the condition of the road outside his shop was "seriously bad".

"It's dangerous, isn't it?" the 76-year-old said.

"It's not nice to walk on either to be honest. It's a patchwork quilt.

"If you've got a little car like mine it's not good for the springs."

Law said temporary repairs had been carried out on the stretch of track bed he was particularly concerned about, but said SYMCA needed to "get their finger out and get it mended" permanently.

His brother, Eric, who runs a bathroom shop on the same stretch of road said workers had been to repair one pothole outside his premises "three times in the last few weeks".

"They come, they fill it and then within a matter of days your'e back to what you can see now," he said.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Beighton, Ian Horner, said residents were "very concerned" about the state of roads across the tram network, which SYMCA took control of from Stagecoach in 2024.

He said: "People from across the city have started posting pictures saying, 'It's bad here as well'. Stagecoach handed it back in, it seems to me, a terrible state.

"People are fed up of hearing that something is going to happen. Well, when? You've seen the state of the track bed - it can only get worse."

A spokesperson for SYMCA said the recent cold snap meant temporary repairs had been made until the weather improves.

They added: "We will be carrying out more significant investment in the Supertram network this year, including the track slabs, to improve the system for passengers and other road users.

The BBC has approached Stagecoach for a comment.

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