Councillors' fears over lack of action taken on "dangerous" pothole in Wigan township

The fact that it hasn’t been is because there is a debate whether it is on council highway or an unadopted road.

Couns George Davies and Ray Whittingham say the hole, at the junction of Greenfield Avenue and unadopted Quaker’s Place in Standish, is posing a risk to drivers and pedestrians in the area.

A hazard that has been present for several years, it is affecting the day-to-day life of those in the area, they say.

One resident says she is having to drive directly over it daily as it is in line with her driveway.

And others try to avoid it by mounting the pavement which of course poses a serious risk to pedestrians. This is particularly so with the pothole being at the intersection of two roads as garden walls and fences make it doubly difficult to see pedestrians.

Coun Davies said: “There’s so much traffic coming through especially those who attend Woodfold Primary School, for many many years we’ve been trying to get these potholes sorted and these dangers need to be eliminated.

"I’m sure that the council has responsibility over safety measures. Unadopted roads need to be looked at but the dangers must be a priority.”

The pothole is 6ins deep and so can cause considerable damage to cars such as buckled wheels, cracks, lumps in the tyre, cracked alloys and it can knock out the tracking and wheel balancing.

A report from the RAC suggests a third of all damage to vehicles is caused by potholes.

Coun Whittingham said: “People who try to get out at the traffic lights at the end of Green Lane are using Greenland Avenue to get out, this piece of land must be in Greenland Avenue. This particular pothole has been an issue for around five or six years now.”

Julie Middlehurst, assistant director for infrastructure at Wigan Council, said: “We are aware of a number of reported defects that are located on Quakers Place, Standish.

“The council will be carrying out additional safety inspections of the adopted highway and the land which the council is responsible for maintaining. Any defects that meet the council’s policy for repair will actioned as appropriate.

“Unfortunately, there is a section of the road in Quakers Place which is unadopted and the council is not responsible for maintaining this section of the road. However, the council is trying to identify the landowners who are responsible for this unadopted section of road and will aim to bring these matters to their attention.

“We encourage residents to report potholes and other environmental issues via MyAccount. They can do so by visiting: wigan.gov.uk/MyAccount.”