SOMERSET County Council is being urged to apply for a pothole repair fund after roads around Frome and across the area were left in a poor state following the wet winter.
The repair fund has been created by the government who have allocated £168million nationwide towards fixing more than three million potholes.
Somerset County Council has been invited to bid for a share of the £168 million Pothole Fund to repair local roads, making them safer and smoother for motorists, cyclists and other road users.
Frome and surrounding villages have been affected by the recent wet winter which followed on from the previous cold winter, with many potholes appearing in the roads.
Cllr Derek Tanswell, Somerset county councillor for Frome west said, “Most roads have a problem with potholes and this includes Frome.
“To have no potholes would be great as people with disabilities and injuries are affected by jolting they can give when driving over them. So everything should be done to get this money as the areas where potholes are the worst would benefit greatly. I know this as I have a bad back at the moment and driving over them is very painful.”
Adam Boyden, Frome town councillor said, “I would hope they do apply for this funding as there are surely going to be some potholes left over due to the recent adverse weather this winter.”
Frome resident Kelly Lewis said, “There is a pothole problem in Frome with so many damaged roads. Guessing it’s down to all the rain we had. Needs looking into.”
Another resident Nicky Harding agreed. She said, “There is a problem. Welsh mill is bad for potholes since all the lorries were on it for months when the nursing home was built. I can’t believe they didn’t have to resurface it when they were done.”
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said, “Part of this government’s long term plan is investing in our roads. Potholes are a menace for all road users which is why this extra funding is provided in addition to the £10 billion already committed for councils for road maintenance. I want councils to rise to the challenge and to reward councils who come up with new and better ways of making repairs quickly and effectively.”
The £168 million fund, announced in the Chancellor’s Budget statement, is enough to fix more than three million potholes. It is in addition to the £10 billion for local roads maintenance that the Department for Transport is already providing to councils in England between 2010 and 2021.
If successful, Somerset County Council will sign a Pothole Pledge as a condition of the funding, setting out the number of potholes they will have repaired by March 2015.
Road rescue company LV, have also revealed that almost 25,000 roadworks are in complete in the UK. This follows surveys carried out with local authorities of which 91 responded. However, Mendip District Council and Somerset County Council did not respond to the request from LV for information.
