A hole lot of trouble as potholes litter borough

BOROUGHWIDE . . . potholes, many of them deep, have sprung up all over the road network.

OLDHAM Council is set to begin counting the cost of damage to roads caused by the recent big freeze.

The cold snap has seen potholes appear or worsen on many of the borough’s highways.

National statistics claim heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures have left Britain’s roads with more than a million potholes which will cost at least £100million to repair.

And there is an estimated one pothole for every 100 yards of road across the country.

It is not yet known how much it will cost to repair Oldham’s potholed roads.

Councillor Mark Alcock, cabinet member for Environment and Infrastructure, said Oldham Council was aware of the potential problems the prolonged cold weather was likely to have had on the network.

Councillor Alcock said: “The problems apply to all highways across the country, and Highway Services staff will be assessing the damage when the severe weather abates.

“The Pothole Mole system is working well and once the snow has cleared the teams will be working to address these problems as soon as we can.

“Any major works will be addressed as appropriate.”

Last September, a new rapid response service to tackle holes in the road was launched by Oldham Council.

An extra £60,000 was allocated in the authority’s budget to set-up Pothole Mole, a specialist repair team.


READERS can report dangerous potholes to 0161-770 4325 (daytime), 770 1685 (out of hours).