Council urges residents to report new potholes as winter hits network

As icy winter weather blasts the region Cheshire East Council is urging residents to report any new potholes or road surface damage.

Wet weather and freeze-thaw conditions are particularly damaging to roads and sometimes prevent durable repairs being put in place.

That is why, while patching work and emergency temporary repairs are done all year round, the council’s road improvement programme – which includes surface treatment and full resurfacing – is planned for the late spring and summer, when the temperatures are higher and the weather is normally drier. 

The council’s approach to maintenance is to focus on roads which see the greatest use and risk, to enable the money to be used in the most effective way. 

Councillor Craig Browne, deputy leader of Cheshire East Council and chair of its highways and transport committee, said: “Our highways team is working constantly to maintain the condition of our roads and the council puts the safety of road users as its highest priority. 

“The council regularly undertakes safety inspections and responds to customer enquiries to keep the network in a safe condition. All roads are inspected in line with the code of practice for highway safety inspections and any defects identified as requiring intervention are promptly repaired within agreed timeframes.

“All potholes and road defects, that are reported, are inspected and all that require intervention will also be promptly repaired within the agreed timeframes.

“Repeated fluctuations in weather conditions – from above to below freezing, coupled with heavy rainfall – can result in an increase in the number of potholes.

“A three-level strategy is in place – Level 1 (pothole filling): keeping the network safe; Level 2 (carriageway patching): maintaining and protecting the network; and Level 3 (resurfacing): investing and improving the network – in order to keep the network in a safe and serviceable condition and to achieve the best value from the available budget.

“In some cases, during the winter months, the weather may prevent an immediate permanent repair. However, these areas will be left in a safe state until such time that a permanent repair can be completed.

“We want our footpaths and roads to be safe for our residents and visitors. The council is currently drawing up proposals to see further investment in our highways over the next three years to maintain and improve our road network.

“We would encourage members of the public to continue to report any issues or defects directly to us via our online reporting tool or by calling 0300 123 5020.”

The council’s highways service is responsible for repairs and management of the borough’s 1,677 miles of roads and 1,100 miles of footways in addition to the maintenance of bridges, street lighting, signage and 372 miles of cycleways. It is the biggest council asset – valued at about £6bn.

Works will be done at various locations across the borough and, where possible, will be coordinated to reduce the impact on road users. The investment in the network will see 16 miles (26km) of roads resurfaced or treated this financial year. 

The programme of works is prioritised in line with a defined scoring criteria.

Cllr Browne added: “The works programme will improve some of the key sections of highway network and this will naturally cause some disruption and inconvenience, for which we apologise in advance. We would ask drivers to be patient and, please, plan ahead.” 

Visit the council’s online roadworks tracker.

Also see information about road condition and repairs.