‘Winter emergency’ could be declared as record high number of potholes found

A winter emergency could be declared in South Gloucestershire as the road network suffers from record high levels of potholes. "Extreme weather[1] " over the next three months could mean the roads would deteriorate much faster than they can be fixed, with potential restrictions put in place. Climate change is bringing more frequent and heavier rainfall and storms while councils across England have faced over a decade of real-terms cuts to their budgets. This has now left South Gloucestershire[2] Council struggling to repair an ever-rising number of potholes.

In a worst case scenario, drivers could be restricted from using certain roads on safety grounds this winter, pending their repair. The cabinet is set to hear preparations for a winter emergency during a meeting on Monday, December 11.

A cabinet report[5] said: "Over a number of years there has been insufficient investment made into the local highway network nationally, and locally we estimate that our current core spend is approximately a third of what is required to keep steady state.

"The impact of climate change and increasingly extreme weather events, combined with the insufficient investment, has meant that it has become impossible to maintain the local network in a steady state condition." Stay up to date with the latest on this story and more by signing up to our daily newsletter[6], delivering our top stories straight to your inbox Last winter was a "key turning point in the state of the network", according to council data, and roads in South Gloucestershire have not recovered since then.

About 100 reports of potholes are normally received in October, however this October the council received 900.

This year reported defects peaked in South Gloucestershire in April, at over 2,000.

A winter emergency would be declared if the council can't repair a "significant percentage" of potholes fast enough, and would mean extra funding put in to boost the teams on the roads.

References

1. ^ weather (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
2. ^ South Gloucestershire (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
3. ^ Plans for 180 homes in village north of Bristol thrown out at appeal (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
4. ^ Council's plan for Kingswood high street amid struggle with 'empty shops and antisocial behaviour' (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
5. ^ cabinet report (council.southglos.gov.uk)
6. ^ signing up to our daily newsletter (www.bristolpost.co.uk)