More Money to Fix Kent Potholes

19 May 2010, 06:27 | Updated: 19 May 2010, 12:52

Heart's been told an extra £1 million is going to be spent fixing the potholes on Kent's roads caused by the cold winter.

£2 million has already been spent so far this year after the freezing weather damaged road surfaces across the county.

This extra money will be used to pay for tarmac firms to do repairs on the county's minor roads.

More than 68,500 potholes have been filled in so far this year.

Kent County Council Leader Paul Carter said: “The local contractors have been fixing potholes and road defects for just over a month now and we are very pleased with both the quality of work and the rate of progress. We expect that by the end of July or early August they will have covered the whole road network.”

Up to five gangs are operating in each of the county’s 12 districts. They are working on a ‘find and fix’ approach, filling all the holes they encounter on whole stretches of road and re-surfacing sections that are badly damaged.

Paul Carter said this intensive approach meant it would take time before crews reached some roads: “They are going down roads and not leaving until everything is fixed. This, of course, takes time and we expect the campaign to run for three months. The roads have been prioritised in terms of need, with the worst ones being tackled first. We are asking people to be patient because there will be some roads that we won’t get to for another two months.”

Kent County Council has received a number of compliments about work being done by the small and medium-sized specialised tarmac firms.

Paul Carter said these firms were also making permanent repairs to some potholes that received a temporary fix during the severe winter: “Some people have reported potholes coming unstuck – these were old potholes that were filled temporarily during the harsh winter when a permanent repair couldn’t be made.

“In terms of the quality of the work being done, we have had very good reports back from residents and parish councils, and from our own highways inspectors.”