POTHOLE HELL CONTINUES ON DEVON'S ROADS

POTHOLE HELL CONTINUES ON DEVON'S ROADS

The 'pot hole hell' on Devon's roads is set to continue with news that more than a third of the roads listed for repairs this year will NOT now be done as Devon County Council slips further behind with repairs.

The top priority 'Pothole Action Fund' set aside £3.2 million this year to pay for 273 scheme repairing potholes and maintaining minor roads across Devon, but figures released by County Hall show more than a third of the roads will now be left until next year for repair.

In fact, 80 schemes worth a total of £800,000 will be delayed, further irritating drivers and other road users already concerned about the state of Devon's roads.

Devon's Liberal Democrats, who are calling for more money to be spent on fixing potholes and maintaining the county's roads, have reacted with dismay to the news that long-suffering road users will now wait even longer for repairs.

Lib Dem opposition leader on Devon, Cllr Alan Connett, said: "Yet again County Hall doesn't have its eye on the ball when its comes to fixing our roads."

"Having set the programme of repairs, you would think they would be managing it so the work was done. Now we learn the Devon's roads contractor, Skanska, is running so far behind the Council says it has no option but to delay one in every three repairs.

"Potholes and the state of Devon's roads is becoming an ever greater annoyance to drivers and all road users. I hear increasingly about ty

res and wheels being wrecked by potholes and County Hall denying any responsibility.

"The Conservatives running Devon County Council are clearly not managing. It's astonishing that so much of the money earmarked for road

repairs has yet to be spent. The pot-hole hell will unfortunately continue," added Cllr Connett.

Across Devon, local county councillors were able to prioritise schemes on those roads in their areas for the Pothole Action Fund because they would not normally be covered due to the lack of Government funding for repairs.

Cllr Connett added: "We have all been concerned at the apparent lack of progress by the council's new contractor and now we hear that Devon is proposing to offer them even more work before they have finished the last lot.

I notice, for example, that work planned in Starcross and Whitestone has not been done and now it won't be carried out until next year."

"We have to look at the monitoring of this contractor" said Lib Dem Cllr Alistair Dewhirst, Chair of Devon's Corporate Scrutiny Committee. "We are entrusting them with a multi-million pound contract and after less than a year we find they will only be able to achieve 66% of the work they have been given.

"My committee will be asking questions about the company's ability to ramp up their operations to ensure that Devon's roads are safe and fit for people to go about their business"