Relief at cash to fix potholes

Politicians and residents have both welcomed a funding pot given to Wigan Council to fix thousands of potholes on the borough's roads.
A potholeA pothole
A pothole

Wiganers say the £195,000 awarded by the Department for Transport (DfT) is extremely timely as many routes around the area are in urgent need of repair.

Bolton West MP Chris Green, whose constituency includes parts of Atherton, said the state of the local highways was also frequently raised with him by frustrated residents.

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The cash, which is being awarded for the Pothole Action Fund, will fix 3,679 potholes across the borough.

Mr Green said: “The state of our roads is consistently raised with me by local residents and remains a great source of frustration for drivers and cyclists.

“This new funding is welcome news and I will be campaigning to make sure our corner of the borough gets our fair share.”

The Government says its action fund will enable local councils across the country to repair more than four million potholes by 2020-21.

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Readers on Wigan Today’s Facebook page said the funding was welcome but many people also blasted the state of the roads in the borough, saying some had been allowed to deteriorate into a state where they could be hazardous to motorists and cyclists.

Vicky Sumner said: “If they don’t get fixed soon, I’ll be suing for my suspension collapsing, they’re shocking. What with the pot holes and speed bumps, feels like you’re riding a roller coaster.”

However, there were also sceptical comments, with some Wiganers saying the money would only be used to carry out short-term work to fill in potholes and more thorough repairs were needed to really get to grips with the problem.

Nicole Van wrote: “The temporary repair they did on the junction 27 Standish roundabout is shocking it’s falling to bits already, instead of wasting money on these temporary fixes why not just repair it properly in the first place!”