Double the efforts to tackle potholes in Oxfordshire
More repair crews are addressing the increase in road defects
Oxfordshire is deploying additional teams to repair potholes across its roads following an increase caused by the recent wet and freezing weather conditions.
The county council, in partnership with its highways contractor M Group, has expanded the number of repair crews from seven to at least 16 teams.
This is aimed at tackling a backlog of potholes formed particularly during the cycle of freezing and thawing from mid-December into January.
The council said it has a tiered priority system for repairs, with aims to fix issues within two hours, 24 hours, or 28 days, depending on the severity of the risk posed.
However, about 875 of the 28-day jobs (which is around 35 per cent of the total jobs) missed their deadlines because of the rise in reports
Councillor Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management for Oxfordshire County Council, said: “It has been a difficult winter, but we are actively looking to improve the situation on our roads by making more resources available to repair potholes as quickly as possible.”
“Our highways teams work very hard in all weathers and conditions to maintain the 3,000 miles of roads for which we are responsible. We know how important the condition of our highways is for our residents, which is why we are taking positive action.”
The council said crews have also been dealing with larger and more severe potholes, which require more intensive repair methods.
The high number of reports and defects needing attention comes after more than 41,000 highway issues were reported to the council over the last year, with around 90 per cent identified as potholes.
A quarter were reported by members of the public via the council’s Fix My Street portal, with the remaining issues flagged during council-led highway inspections.