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A hole lot of trouble on our roads
LANCASHIRE'S roads are full of holes – and it is driving us potty.
Almost 14,000 complaints have been made about the county's potholed roads in just over five years.
In Preston, more than 900 complaints were made to a Lancashire County Council (LCC) hotline and website between June 2003 and February 2009.
Almost 13,310 gripes were made about damaged footpaths across Lancashire – 1,380 of them in Preston – during the same period.
Roads bosses say LCC repairs around 30,000 defects, including potholes and uneven flags, every year.
Since April 2008, almost 13,000 holes have been found on the county's roads by safety inspectors with a further 2,500 potholes along the county's footpaths. But some motorists today called for more action.
The Evening Post photographed deep holes on a raft of roads, including Manchester Road in Preston, Lightfoot Lane in Fulwood and Todd Lane South in Lostock Hall.
Cab driver Mark Selley, of Preston Hackney Carriage Association, said: "The condition of roads is sometimes appalling and you have to swerve to avoid some of the potholes.
"I dare say the county council would say there is only so much money in the pot, but some roads have been in pretty poor condition for quite a while."
Preston North East councillor Michael Welsh said: "There's no doubt that we don't spend nearly enough on maintaining roads and footpaths. I think more could be done, but the trouble is it's really expensive."
Potholes are meant to be repaired within 24 hours if the damage is 4cm deep. Smaller potholes are repaired as a priority if the damage might affect pedestrians crossing the road, such as at a dropped kerb or a crossing.
It costs around £200 to fill in an average pothole, but the price is nearer £20 if it is done as part of general resurfacing.
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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin
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