Lancashire 'back up to speed' with pothole repairs, county council claims

A backlog of pothole-filling jobs built up after a wet winter in 2023/24, which the authority says was exacerbated by “wear and tear from heavy vehicles”  and the 38,000 sets of roadworks by utility companies which take place in the county every year.

However, County Hall has now published figures showing that 94 per cent of highway defects which meet the thresholds for repair within five, 10 and 20 days - depending on their seriousness - were repaired on time in June.   That equates to 9,526 repairs in total that month.

The latest figures for July indicate that almost all repairs are now being made within target times. Over 93 per cent of the most urgent issues, which have a threshold for repair within four hours or two days, are being repaired on time - with 96 per cent of all other defects meeting the relevant thresholds. 

In 2024/25, the county council expects to spend around £29m on improving road surfaces, and around £25m on streetlights, bridges and other highways-related maintenance.

The authority says a key focus of its maintenance work has been to make the county’s roads “more resilient, ready for the wet and cold weather we can expect again this coming winter”.

County Coun Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for highways and transport said: "Our vast road network is vital to the daily life of every resident, worker and business in the county and that's why keeping your roads safe is our top priority.

"We have invested above and beyond normal levels this year and brought in contractors to help our highways teams work at pace to keep up with the repairs caused by record rainfall levels.

"Despite this, we did struggle earlier this year to meet the very strict targets we set ourselves to repair potholes on time. The good news is that, thanks to the phenomenal efforts of our teams who have been working tirelessly to improve our roads, we're back on track.

"Our latest figures for June and July show a much-improved picture, with the vast majority of potholes and other highway maintenance issues now being repaired within our target times.

"We wouldn't have been able to do this without the public's help and I would encourage people to continue to report potholes or any other safety issues using the Love Clean Streets app, via our website, or by calling our customer service centre."

Residents can report highways issues at lancashire.gov.uk, or by using their  phone via the ‘Love Clean Streets’ app, which can be downloaded on the Apple Store or the Google Play Store. People can also call the the county council’s customer service centre on 0300 123 6780.