Chorley potholes making people's lives a 'misery' - drivers

Potholes like this one on Railway Street are making Chorley's roads a bumpy ride

Drivers and local residents in a town have said potholes are "the misery of our lives" as navigating bumpy roads is difficult.

Potholes, which can be found in and around Chorley, are the responsibility of Lancashire County Council.

One taxi driver said potholes were costing him "so much" as they damaged the suspension in his car.

The county council said it carried out "regular safety inspections", with the busiest roads inspected most often.

Cabinet member for highways and transport, Rupert Swarbrick told BBC Radio Lancashire the authority would have caught up with the backlog by the end of spring.

He advised motorists to drive "on our highways as though they had a wedding cake in the back of the car".

There are numerous examples of potholes, where the surface of the road or path has worn away and a hollow has formed, in Chorley.

Taxi driver Abdul, who was doing a drop-off in the town, said they "are the misery of our lives because [of] damage they do to our taxis".

He said potholes were "damaging the ball joints and suspension in his vehicle" and that the damage caused "costs so much to repair every six months" when the taxi is MOT tested.

Colette would like to see Chorley Council be able to repair the town's roads

Chorley gift shop owner, Colette, said the local town council should be given more power to repair its roads.

"The problem we have is that we're under Lancashire County Council," she said.

"The council in Chorley, even though they are the ones closest to the problem cannot do anything with our roads.

"We have to apply to the County Council to get anything done on our roads."

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Local cyclist Dan said potholes also made things difficult for those who do not use cars to get around the town.

"Sometimes [potholes] will put me off riding in certain areas. You don't always know where the potholes are and there's a big inconsistency in road surfacing," he said.

Potholes can also be be seen on footways in the town

Mr Swarbrick added: "We have to prioritise the deepest holes, the worst incidents... and then we'll catch up with all the others.

"By the end of the spring, we will have caught up with what is about 12,000 logs on our job sheet".

He suggested people should "drive to the conditions that they are experiencing".

At some locations in the town, new potholes can be seen alongside ones that have been repaired

Lancashire County Council has previously told the BBC that it aimed to "fix 90% (or more) of potholes reported to us within 20 working days".

Mr Swarbrick said the county council needed to "balance the budget [and] allocate resources appropriately" when it came to fixing potholes.