Report potholes in Portishead

By thepickler | Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 16:50

THE number of potholes reported on North Somerset's roads has increased following the recent cold weather.

The authority has been deluged with reports of potholes following the freezing conditions and snow earlier this month.

Contractors have been focusing their efforts on filling the holes, with authority bosses urging anyone who notices a problem to report it immediately.

Additional inspections are also being carried out on the district's roads, with contractors filling between 10 and 20 potholes every day.

Potholes are caused when water runs into hairline cracks in the road surface and freezes, forcing the cracks further apart.

Highway authorities across the country are facing similar problems after road surfaces were weakened by the cold weather before Christmas, with problems made worse when snow hit early in the New Year.

Council bosses say a full survey of the road network is not possible due to needing to fix the worst and most dangerous potholes as soon as possible.

North Somerset Council deputy leader and executive member for highways, Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, said: "The weather has not been kind to our roads, but we have already been tackling the large number of potholes that have appeared.

"It is frustrating because we were beginning to get on top of the situation before the cold weather.

"We would ask people to drive carefully on the roads while we are still working to fix the problems."

To report a pothole contact Streets and Open Spaces on 01934 888 802 or email streetsandopenspaces@n-somerset.gov.uk.