Plan for £1m Powys road repairs

An extra £1 million could be pumped into repairing pothole-riddled roads in Powys following one of the harshest winters on record.

Powys County Council today said it was still in the process of carrying out an investigation in order to assess the full extent of damage done by weather on the region's roads.

But the council said it would need more than the extra £500,000 given by the Welsh Assembly last month to help tackle the mess on the roads left by the Arctic freeze.

Councillor Geraint Hopkins, the council's board member responsible for highways, transport and local environment, said officers were now investigating the extent of the problem.

It is believed that an extra £1 million may be needed.

He said:"We did receive an extra £500,000 from the Welsh Assembly for road repairs.

"While we are grateful for this extra money, the amount we will require will exceed this. We are currently assessing the full extent of the damage and the cost of remedial work.

"The sustained cold snap resulted in damage to roads and repair work has started. We have staff carrying out regular inspections but we also urge residents to report any dangerous potholes.

"The roads have been left in a sorry state following the worst winter in living memory which saw temperatures plunge to as low as -18C (0F) in Powys."

John Evans, communications officer for Powys County Council, said it had not yet been determined where the extra money for the pothole repairs would come from.

He said: "We are in the final stages of preparing our budget for the next year and we will be taking into account the money needed to repair roads in that."

He added the council would be doing all it could to protect frontline services but it was facing increased financial pressures.

Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies said: "The roads are the worst I've seen them for a very long time but its not surprising because the weather conditions have been the worst I've seen for a long time too.

"The council has a very difficult job on its hands because as well as being under pressure to repair the roads as quickly as possible it is also experiencing severe financial pressures."

By Anwen Evans