MPs sign letter calling for action on potholes

A group of Nottinghamshire MPs have signed a letter to call for an urgent meeting with the county council to discuss potholes.

The letter, addressed to Nottinghamshire County Council's chief executive Adrian Smith, states residents "continue to report that roads are in a worse condition than ever".

Mansfield's Labour MP Steve Yemm, who wrote the letter, said residents were "dissatisfied and frustrated with slow and impermanent repairs".

County council leader Mick Barton said potholes were a "top priority", adding he thinks the roads are in a better condition now than before Reform UK took office in May.

The letter, sent on Wednesday, was signed by eight MPs, including Reform's Lee Anderson and Robert Jenrick for the Conservatives.

It states: "We are seeking a clear plan: which roads will be prioritised, what immediate action will be taken and how will additional funding be satisfactorily utilised to deliver long lasting improvement to our roads."

Yemm said the government had provided an extra £8m in funding for potholes in Nottinghamshire.

He told the BBC: "I was delighted that the other MPs said they would sign.

"In my opinion, the roads are worse than they've ever been.

"My constituents tell me about the damage to their vehicles and sometimes the repairs cost over £1,000."

Kym Stretton, from Mansfield, has a rare genetic condition which means she is often in pain and cannot walk very far.

The 63-year-old described driving as her "freedom", but said the state of the roads has made it difficult to enjoy driving.

"You feel like you're constantly dodging potholes, it's like a game of dodgems," she added. "Some of them are so deep it's ridiculous.

"They patch them and within days they're back out again. They need to actually resurface the roads.

"My condition causes me a lot of pain and driving over these surfaces jars me."

Barton said the authority had reported and filled in more than 11,000 potholes and resurfaced more than 17 miles of road.

However, he added the council needed a further £500m in funding to get the roads "to a standard people would expect".

Barton said the authority knew the roads were "in a mess" but was working to tackle the issue.

"There are four teams out every day trying to deal with it," he added.

"We are in silly season now with lots of rain. It's going to take a while to get on top of it all, we are not naïve."

Barton said emergency repairs were fixed within two hours and residents would see a "big change in the forthcoming months".

A pothole must be at least 40mm deep in the road surface for it to be considered a "safety defect", according to the county council website.

Barton has also told the BBC the council is visiting JCB next year to view new equipment for filling potholes.

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