Highways crews will continue repairing potholes across Staffordshire as they prepare for the additional challenges that winter weather can bring.
Crews repaired 4,965 potholes during October, more than the repaired during the same month last year.
Since April, crews have repaired 32,407 potholes, as the council progresses towards its target of repairing 40,000 by the end of the financial year.
As Staffordshire moves into the winter months, highways teams will continue to inspect roads and carry out pothole repairs, prioritising defects according to safety and need.
However, winter also brings additional demands for highways crews, with teams needing to respond to severe weather and other urgent issues on the road network.
This means the pace and type of repair work may change during periods of bad weather, particularly when crews are needed to respond to winter storms and snow.
Peter Mason, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Highways, said:
Our highways crews have made really good progress over recent months, and repairing 4,965 potholes in October alone shows just how much work is taking place across Staffordshire.
As we move into winter, that work doesn’t stop. We will continue repairing potholes and dealing with defects on our roads, particularly where they present the greatest need.
But winter brings different challenges. When storms, heavy rain or snow hit Staffordshire, our crews also need to be ready to respond and keep the county moving.
That means residents may see the pace of pothole repairs change during periods of severe weather, but we remain absolutely committed to improving our roads and building on the progress our teams have already made.
There is still a lot to do, but we are making progress and will continue doing everything we can to improve Staffordshire’s roads for residents.”
The council’s highways improvement programme is using a range of repair methods to help teams tackle defects more efficiently, including traditional repairs, screeding and velocity patching.
Residents can continue to report potholes and other highways problems through Staffordshire County Council’s Report It service.
