5,000 potholes reported in Cambridgeshire in need of repair

CCC said that winter creates the prime conditions for potholes to form, and subsequently, 5,000 potholes have been reported in 2023 and need to be fixed.

Several members of the public have taken to social media to highlight the numerous potholes in need of repair and the state of some of the "shoddy" repair work administered.

Cllr Stephen Ferguson highlighted these potholes as a minority example of bad temporary repairs that should be re-reported by the public if they see it. (Image: Stephen Ferguson)

Cllr Alex Beckett and Cllr Neil Shailer, chair and vice-chair of the highways and transport committee at CCC, said: "In the winter, a lot more road defects and potholes form, this is being seen across the country.

"This is due to wet and freezing weather causing those worn areas of road and pavement surfaces to break up.

"We know how important our roads are, which is why we carry out regular inspections of our roads, bridges, cycleways and footpaths.

"Defects identified and reported to us are repaired as quickly as possible."

We’ve had 5000 reports of potholes, we have 8 crews and two dragon patchers working on fixing them. That might involve a temporary repair because the weather conditions and need to close roads might prevent an immediate permanent fix. Please report potholes on the CCC website. https://t.co/B8DoWSa6wk

— Stephen Ferguson (@borofergie) January 16, 2023

CCC aim to fix deep and dangerous potholes within five days and smaller ones within 21 days.

The Hunts Post reported last year in July that CCC repaired more than 47,500 potholes, however, 2,243 remained unrepaired at the time.

CCC has increased the number of resources to deal with both temporary and permanent fixes this year, with ten crews and two dragon patchers attending to potholes across the county.

Last week the dragon patchers, which dry out the potholes using flames, reportedly repaired 700 defects in three days.

The dragon patcher used by CCC to dry out potholes with flames before material can be laid. (Image: Cambridgeshire County Council)

Due to the magnitude of potholes to repair, some are fixed temporarily to keep up with the numbers and keep people safe, to be revisited later for permanent repairs.

On social media, Chair of CCC, Cllr Stephen Ferguson, said: "Please bear in mind that we are in peak' pothole season' and this is a national problem and a consequence of a lack of investment in our highways infrastructure.

"A minority of temporary repairs will fail and need to be repaired again. If you see these please re-report them."

Cllr Beckett and Cllr Shailer added: "We can't be everywhere at all times, which is why we encourage the public to report any potholes.

"We'd urge drivers to be vigilant over the next few weeks and report any faults to us."

If you see a pothole in need of repair that has not been marked or flagged for repair, you can report it through www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/highwayfaults.