"Shocking to see" - Councillors blast reports of pothole repairs done with gas canister in Chorley
Internet footage of potholes repairs being carried out with a gas canister in Chorley, has been slammed by residents and opposition councillors.
The footage, which circulated on TikTok last week by Sophie Walsh, shows Lancashire County Council contractors using a gas canister to flatten freshly-laid asphalt instead of a whacker plate. Miss Walsh also claimed that one of the contractors was wearing sliders - a type of plastic sandal.
The video appears to have been taken down by Miss Walsh, but has been copied and reshared by others.
The footage has been condemned by Labour party County Councillors, including Independent, Councillor Azhar Ali. He said: “Shocking to see contractors appointed by Reform led Lancashire County Council patching our roads in with a gas canister.
“Despite a mild winter the state of some of Lancashire roads and streets are in a complete mess - more like third world roads. I know in Nelson and Burnley the roads are a mess and the number one complaint …Reforms flagship policy is in complete meltdown.”
Labour’s Chorley County Councillor Kim Snape reposted the video on her Facebook page, writing: “Is this what Reform-led Lancashire County Council cuts mean for Lancashire roads? Bodged jobs and half-measures that fail fast?”
Lancashire County Council “shocked”
A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "We were shocked when we saw the video of recent repairs undertaken by contractors working in Ash Grove in Chorley. The contractor's work was unacceptable and fell far below our stringent standards and we take this very seriously.
"The repair was redone the next day to a suitable standard at no additional cost to the council and the team went door-to-door to apologise to residents.
"We have since taken measures to prevent such issues recurring, including our contractor re-briefing their teams on the standards and expectations required.
"This site would have been picked up during our review process. We have robust procedures in place, but we have instructed extra unannounced inspections to be carried out in the coming weeks and months ahead."
Josh Sweeney, Director at Multevo said: “We take our responsibilities to our clients and the public extremely seriously. The behaviour depicted does not reflect the standards, values, or expectations we uphold. There is an internal investigation ongoing in relation to this matter, and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time. We remain committed to delivering high-quality, safe and professional services, and we continue to work collaboratively with Lancashire County Council to ensure that all works meet the required specification and are subject to robust quality checks.”
Falling number
At the end of November, LCC announced that the number of defects on Lancashire’s roads and pavements has dropped by more than 25,000 over the last year. Figures showed that the tally of faults awaiting repair – which includes potholes – had fallen to 35,514 in September 2025, down from 61,063 when the same snapshot was taken 12 months earlier.
The authority’s Reform UK administration, which took control at County Hall in May attributed the 42 percent reduction to a wholesale revamp in the approach being taken to fixing carriageway faults.
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The county council – which is responsible for almost all non-motorway routes across Lancashire, except in Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen – switched in June to employing a single company to carry out its routine pothole patch-ups.
Cabinet member for highways and transport Warren Goldsworthy told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) at the time that the new arrangement had brought down the cost of repairs – from up to £150 per square metre under the various day rates charged by the multiple contactors the authority previously used – to £95.
“What that means is, I can [fix] a third more potholes for the same money,” he said.
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