Extra £1.7 million given to county to deal with potholes - but '˜still more to do' says council

The county council has been given an additional £1.7m to deal with potholes across Lincolnshire - bringing the total to £4.2m funding from the Government for the problem so far.
County council highways staff repairing potholes on Moor Lane, Leasingham. EMN-180131-170041001County council highways staff repairing potholes on Moor Lane, Leasingham. EMN-180131-170041001
County council highways staff repairing potholes on Moor Lane, Leasingham. EMN-180131-170041001

A statement from Lincolnshire County Council said the money would ‘make a difference’ but added that there was still more to be done and further investment hoped for.

The £1,736,514 awarded from the national Pothole Action Fund for 2017/18 is in addition to a previous £2.5 milllion the Government awarded to the council previously.

Executive Member for Highways and Transport Coun Richard Davies said: “The weather this year has been especially bad for the roads, so this extra money is particularly welcome.

“We’re repairing thousands of potholes every month, with over 4,000 dealt with in December alone.

“Dangerous defects are fixed as a matter of urgency, with other issues being prioritised and dealt with as resources allow. That way we can get the most out of the available funding.

“While this extra £1.7m will make a difference, there’s much more to be done, and we would like to see even greater Government investment in our local roads.”

Mr Davies said the council spends around £50m on highways maintenance each year adding that: “while this sounds like a lot of money, we have 5,500 miles of road to maintain and that funding will only go so far. That’s why we’re calling on the Government for fairer funding for Lincolnshire.

“If councils here received the average funding for council areas in England, the region would benefit from £116 million of extra funding for services every year – some of which could be used towards highways repairs. That would make a massive difference.”

Anyone wanting to report a highways fault is asked to visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/faultreporting or call 01522 782070.