Calls to sort out pothole problem

A WINSCOMBE resident is stepping up his calls for North Somerset Council to sort out potholes plaguing road in the village.

Parish councillor Steve Bridges carried out his own survey on the roads in Winscombe and Sandford but is yet to hear back about what work will be carried out.

Cllr Bridges drove around the streets in March and sent his findings to the council.

In July he was asked to send in a prioritised list of those places that needed the most urgent attention. Nearly three months later he has still not received a response from the council.

Cllr Bridges said: "Since July I have seen men painting yellow lines around some of the potholes.

"I believe some work may have started on Church Road but I want to know if anything else is going to be done.

"I put all the details in my letter and it should have been sorted months ago."

Cllr Bridges, who lives in Hillyfields, said he believes the poor response is because North Somerset Council does not use planned maintenance schedules.

He said: "Before it became North Somerset, and maybe even before Avon, every time a road was built it was given a certain lifespan.

"Once that time was up, the road would be inspected and then any necessary work would be done, which could be planned months and even years in advance.

"The authorities used to be proactive but now they work on a purely reactive basis."

A spokesman for North Somerset said the relevant department is aware of the list compiled by Cllr Bridges. Some of the potholes listed have already been repaired and the council is working its way through the rest, he added.