Council puts £2m towards 'emergency' road repairs

Emergency road repairs to fill potholes will be extended in Nottinghamshire after £2m of additional funding was provided.

Nottinghamshire County Council said the funds will cover work at 35 sites across the county.

The Reform-led authority said this year's "wet winter weather" had caused further deterioration of road surfaces, with funding fast-tracked through its special urgency procedures.

Funding for the maintenance work "will be met from a combination of external funding and existing capital budgets", it added.

The county council said an assessment of roads across Nottinghamshire found 15.9% of the network "is in a poor condition" and needs maintenance work, with another 21.7% assessed as likely to need maintenance soon.

It said a three-year programme of capital replacement schemes had been prepared by council officers and staff from highways services provider Via East Midlands, which will need cabinet approval and is in addition to the emergency repairs.

Among the 35 sites to be targeted are stretches of the A612 Colwick Loop Road, Hassocks Lane in Beeston, Melton Lane in Sutton Bonington and New Mill Lane in Mansfield Woodhouse.

The sites were chosen based on reported issues from members of the public, areas inspected by highways staff, and places "known to have required repeated visits" for repairs.

County council leader Mick Barton defended the authority's pothole policies earlier this week after residents complained roads around the county have been left riddled with potholes this winter.

He said the authority needed "at least" £400m to properly repair roads and added he will continue to ask for extra resources from central government and other bodies.

"The level of decay of our roads is shocking, due to the decades of underfunding which has been nowhere near enough to get them up to scratch and the standards residents demand," Barton said.

"This is a necessary and welcome starting point, and we know the public want urgent action."

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