Thousands of potholes repaired in Shropshire in last six months, say council bosses

Shropshire Council says it acknowledges that many roads are in need of improvement, but stressed that repair work is being carried out.

It comes after figures from the Department of Transport showed that the condition of the county's main roads has deteriorated over the past year.

Council-run roads were surveyed in the 12 months to March 2021 and classed as "red" if they should be considered for maintenance.

Figures from the Department of Transport show nine per cent of A roads in Shropshire were put in this worst category – up from four per cent in 2019-20.

In Telford, the figures rose from two per cent to seven over the same period, and in both areas exceeded the national average.

Shropshire Council bosses said the authority was working hard to improve the county's roads and make them safer for everyone.

A council spokesman said: "In the last six months we’ve tackled more than 16,000 potholes, surface dressed 60 stretches of road, and in the coming weeks we’ll be resurfacing nearly 50 more.

“The challenge we face is that a significant number of roads have gone beyond the point of intervention and now requires major investment to bring the highway network back up to an acceptable condition.

"However, over the next four years we plan to put up to an additional £120m into our highways maintenance budget, and we’re using new technology and new ways of working to help us tackle the problem.

“The Department of Transport figures should be considered in the context of the funding that the council receives for highway maintenance from government, as Shropshire Council only receives £8,921 per mile, compared to the national average of £10,925.

"It is nationally recognised however, that even the national average investment is significantly below the level required to maintain the country’s local highways, even at its current levels.

“Unfortunately, the current level of funding that the service receives is insufficient to intervene on all roads at a time where preventative maintenance would reduce the number of potholes, resulting in the year on year deterioration of several miles of network, to a stage where significantly more costly measures are needed.”