Lincolnshire: More than 100,000 potholes reported

Lincolnshire County Council said reinstating government funding could see 37 miles of deteriorating road rebuilt a year

More than 100,000 potholes are estimated to have been reported in Lincolnshire as the council faces a £12m cut in its road repair budget.

Council data shows 15,314 pothole reports were made to the authority in 2021, but each report accounts for an average of seven potholes, it said.

Last year, the government cut Lincolnshire County Council's road maintenance funds by 25%.

The government said it was providing £5bn to councils for road maintenance.

After the cuts to its 2019-20 budget, Lincolnshire councillors voted to plug the gap using the authority's reserves so essential road works could still be carried out.

But Lincolnshire County Council said this approach could not continue and has started a campaign calling on the government to reinstate funding.

'Pothole plague'

The authority said the missing £12m would cover the cost of filling 24,000 potholes and rebuilding 37 miles of deteriorating road per year.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: "We know through our interactions with residents and businesses that the state of the roads, in particular the pothole plague we are fighting against, is one of the biggest issues we all face on a daily basis.

"That missing 25% of government money, if put back into our budget, will make a huge difference to the people and businesses of Lincolnshire."

The Fix Our Funds to Fix Our Roads campaign has called on people to share their experiences of how they have been affected by poor road conditions in Lincolnshire.

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One contributor said: "Me and my wife travelled on the coastal road from Huttoft to Sutton on Sea and I can honestly say I've not been on a fairground ride that throws you about as much as that road does. You take your life into your own hands on that stretch."

Another wrote: "We run a holiday accommodation business in Blankney Fen and we get very stressed due to the big potholes. One part of the road had so many potholes you could not avoid them."

The Department for Transport said a total of £5bn investment was available to highways authorities across England, including Lincolnshire.

A spokesperson added: "This is enough to fill millions of potholes a year, repair dozens of bridges and resurface roads up and down the country."