Sheffield councillor calls for crackdown on contractor Amey after pothole repair fails in 13 days
Sheffield councillor calls for crackdown on contractor Amey after pothole repair fails in 13 days.
A two-week pothole repair has been called ‘obviously inadequate’, prompting calls for a crackdown on contractors.
On February 12, local councillors shared images of themselves measuring a massive pothole on Rushdale Road in Meersbrook, which was later fixed. It had been mended when The Star arrived on February 13.
However, by February 25, the repair had been completed, and the pothole was once again encased by gravel.
Councillor Marianne Elliot described it as “clearly inadequate” and requested stronger oversight of private business Amey, which has a £2.2 billion contract to maintain roadways over 25 years.
It comes amid a slew of complaints about potholes and repairs following record-breaking rainfall in January and February. She stated:
“We posted about the pothole after receiving normal responses from Amey indicating they will repair it within 28 days – although they may not be able to do so due to their busy schedule.
“Amey now recognises that its filler is insufficiently robust and has altered it. But where’s the quality control, and what are the penalties?
“I’m told one team can fill ten potholes every day.
But, how many teams are there? “Is the council challenging Amey enough on this when it is affecting so many roads in South Yorkshire?” It plans to complete temporary pothole repairs within 28 days before returning to make permanent ones.
In a written answer to Coun Elliot, it stated that it has been using ‘bag mix’ for temporary repairs for several years, but that it had begun to fail prior to the 28-day period for a temporary patch this year due to rainfall and wet roads.
It added: “As soon as we recognised that the bag mix could not handle the level of water saturation, we moved to a water activated solution (Viafix), which is currently used for all temporary repairs. “We are confident that this will remain in place until the permanent repair is carried out.”
Peter Anderson, Managing Director of Amey’s Transport Infrastructure Team, stated, “Recent severe weather has had a significant impact across the UK.
We recognise the concerns and frustrations locally and are acting quickly to address them.” Amey has invested extensively in resurfacing and maintaining the city’s roads through the long-term Streets Ahead program, which continues to this day.
“Our focus remains on creating long-term improvements while addressing urgent challenges.
“We are using more resilient repair materials, adding more teams to deal with potholes and are scheduling permanent repairs as soon as conditions allow.”
All work is completed in accordance with agreed-upon quality standards and is monitored in collaboration with the council.
“Our top objective is to support Sheffield’s reliable, safe road network, both today and in the future.
“We would encourage the locals to keep reporting potholes so that repairs can be prioritised and completed as soon as possible.”
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