War on Potholes coming to Suffolk after minister's call

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh vowed to use cutting-edge repair technology to battle the “plague," saying that potholes delay journeys, put the lives of drivers and cyclists at risk, and damage vehicles.

Her comments came as Suffolk Highways prepared to launch its winter campaign to combat the problem.

Earlier this year Suffolk unveiled new equipment aimed at treating potholes faster and during the summer whole sections road have been resurfaced to reduce the dangers of potholes.

Paul West with contractors trying to keep up with Suffolk potholes. (Image: Suffolk Highways)

Cabinet member for highways Paul West said: “Cold and wet weather often wreaks havoc with our roads, which is why we have taken proactive steps and developed a targeted campaign to tackle potholes ahead of this winter.

“Next week we are launching an additional programme of repairs in areas which pose a higher risk of potholes appearing during the winter months. This includes additional resources, new technology and increased hours of working.

“These plans have been carefully worked up over recent months to ensure we can hit the ground running and bolster our roads so we are ready for what winter brings. I look forward to sharing plans with residents very soon.”

During the general election campaign, Labour pledged to fix an additional one million potholes across England in each year of the next parliament.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has vowed to reduce the number of potholes. (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Ms Haigh said the state of the nation’s roads had become a “constant and visible reminder of the decline in our country’s infrastructure”.

Last month, new research revealed that concern about the state of local roads had reached record levels.

Some 27% of those questioned in a survey commissioned by the RAC said their vehicle had suffered damage as a result of potholes in the previous 12 months.

The Transport Secretary met road workers and councillors to learn about high-definition imagery technology which has been introduced in Blackpool - and could be rolled out across the country.

It uses an advanced imagery system that takes high-definition pictures of roads to detect potholes and compile data on areas most in need of repair.

Ms Haigh said: “For too long, this country has suffered from a pothole plague. This should be a model for every community to learn from and help deliver the roads their drivers deserve.”