‘Prevention is better than cure’ says Cornwall Council as more than 22,500 potholes repaired in 2020
Cornwall Council has called for better funding for Cornwall’s roads in order to put an end to the blight of potholes, after the latest figures show that highways crews repaired around 62 a day in 2020.
Council investment will see an extra £20m spent on our roads by the end of this year – so far this funding has seen more than 500 roads resurfaced, preventing an estimated 2,400 potholes from forming.
With National Pothole Day (January 15 2021) putting the focus on the quality and safety of the country’s highway network, Cornwall Council hopes it will also highlight the need for better funding at national level.
There is currently a £270m backlog in road maintenance and repairs on Cornwall’s 7,300km highway network.
Councillor Geoff Brown, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, said: “We all rely on our highway network and road maintenance is a topic that regularly features in our residents’ surveys.
“Making the best use of our resources and targeting funding to where it is most needed has meant Cornwall’s main A and B roads rank among the top 25% in the country.
“But more investment is needed – particularly on minor roads in towns and on our rural network – to carry out work to prevent potholes forming in the first place.”
Heavy rainfall at the end of 2020 saw crews deal with more than 300 reports of potholes and flooding across Cornwall during the 11 days between Christmas Eve and January 3.
Teams from Cormac responded to reports of damaged roads, repairing more than 249 potholes and damaged road surfaces, as well as clearing debris from gullies and drains to alleviate flooding which affected many main routes connecting communities.
