Council to invest millions to fill pothole backlog

The government says Kent motorists users "deserve safe, modern and smooth roads"

Kent County Council (KCC) is preparing to spend millions of extra cash to tackle a pothole backlog.

A total of £8.6m from the Department for Transport (DfT) will be spent between March and October.

The Pothole Blitz project will be delivered using additional contractors and focus on medium to large scale resurfacing, the council said.

Roads minister Guy Opperman said: "Motorists and roads users in Kent deserve safe, modern and smooth roads they can rely on.”

Specialist equipment, including miniature planers, pavers and diggers, will be used to ensure the repairs can be made with minimal disruption to the travelling public, the council added.

'Risk to safety'

Between April and December 2023, KCC repaired 54,814 potholes and mended or resurfaced more than 416,991 square metres of road, which is equivalent to 57 football pitches.

Neil Baker, the council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said Kent’s roads were “among the busiest in the country”.

“This is why throughout the winter we have been responding to reports of potholes by completing emergency repairs where defects present a risk to safety,” he said.

“With the weather improving we are turning our attention to completing permanent fixes the first time we visit the site, so the travelling public can be confident that repairs will last.”

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