The council has successfully carried out its ‘Find & Fix’ pothole repair programme for the second year running to improve the conditions and safety of roads across the Borough.
Collaboration between the council and their maintenance contractor Marlborough, saw a team of spotters actively searching for, and recording, carriageway potholes across the whole Borough on a ward-by-ward basis.
All spotted potholes were documented, and the evidence passed back to council officers for recording and approval. The maintenance crews then follow up and repair all the approved defects.
The council has defined intervention levels for pothole repairs, but this programme also encouraged the proactive repair of nearby defects and those that were close to intervention levels.
This year saw a total of 2,359 defects repaired between June and September which is close to last year’s total of 2,430. To ensure greater longevity to the repairs, approximately 60% of this year’s defects were patched.
This programme, aligned with our increased spending on the Highways Improvement resurfacing programme, highlights the council’s commitment to improve the conditions and safety of roads across the Borough.
Cllr Ron Woodley, cabinet member for transport, asset management and inward investment, said: “The Find and Fix programme proved to be a resounding success last year, albeit with less traffic on the roads due to pandemic, and I am very pleased to see the successful return of the programme for the second year running especially with traffic levels returning to pre-pandemic levels.
“This administration promised to deliver £10m investment into our highways and pavements each year for the next five financial years, and I am delighted that we are meeting that figure for the first financial year.
“This capital investment means we will have repaired and resurfaced 54 roads and 76 pavements this year alone, making a significant difference to the Borough’s roads and pavements and a real step-change compared to previous years of under-investment.”
If you spot a road defect, please report this via MySouthend.