More Than 30,000 Potholes Fixed in Hampshire

Hampshire’s highways gangs have so far fixed over 30,000 potholes and resurfaced or patched over 100,000m² of Hampshire’s roads since the winter, tackling some of the worst of the damage caused by freezing water seeping into the road surfaces.

The coldest winter in 30 years left its mark on Hampshire’s roads, so as soon as the snow had melted away, Hampshire County Council doubled its numbers of Pothole Busters gangs to 50.

Gangs set out across the county to fix potholes and defects using a range of techniques, including hot patching and jet patching. On top of that, £1.5 million was spent on resurfacing damaged roads in 47 different rural locations. This resurfacing targeted sections of C classified roads which are vital links between communities and had been badly damaged by the severe winter weather.

Since January:

•Over 30,000 potholes and defects have been filled

•33,128m² of patching has been completed – if all these were put end to end across an average road width of 6m, these would stretch over 5.5km

•Nearly 70 km of resurfacing has been completed up and down the county – the distance between Andover and Aldershot or Fareham to Basingstoke.

•7000m² of preventative treatment on pavements has been carried out – that’s almost 4km of pavements with a new surface.

Councillor Mel Kendal, Executive Member for Environment at Hampshire County Council, said:

“We’re beginning to see some results now from the extra focus we have put in to tackle the increased amount of potholes after the winter.

“We will continue to work hard to look after Hampshire’s roads – good roads are important to Hampshire’s residents and so are a priority for the council. We are committed to restoring our road network to the condition it was in before the winter, and improving the condition of the roads in the long term, which is why the County Council has announced an ambitious multi million pound programme, Operation Resilience, to strengthen our roads and make them less prone to potholes."

Residents can report faults, including potholes and roadside defects by filling in an online form which can be found at www.hants.gov.uk/roads, where progress can be tracked online. Alternatively, defects can be reported to: 0845 603 5633