Roads minister vows '˜vigorous action' to tackle A27 pothole woes

HAZARDOUS potholes which dot the A27 putting drivers at risk will be tackled, Britain's roads minister has vowed.
Potholes on the A27  between Chichester and PortsmouthPotholes on the A27  between Chichester and Portsmouth
Potholes on the A27 between Chichester and Portsmouth

Jesse Norman has pledged to fix the atrocious state of the A27, which is dotted by more than a dozen potholes on its westbound carriageway.

The Tory MP’s comments come as fresh figures reveal the scale of the pothole problem across Portsmouth and Hampshire.

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Mr Norman said the government has pumped an extra £50m into a fund to help councils combat potholes.

Transport Minister Jesse NormanTransport Minister Jesse Norman
Transport Minister Jesse Norman

Speaking to The News about the situation on the A27, Mr Norman said: ‘This is an issue, it’s a serious issue and we recognise that it has been made worse by the winter and we’re taking vigorous action to combat it.’

The minister’s comments come as nationwide study revealed how many roads have needed repairs by councils.

Portsmouth has seen the overall number of roads needing maintenance increasingly slightly on major A routes.

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Figures, released by the BBC, show that in the past couple of years, the percentage of the city’s A roads needing maintenance has increased by three per cent.

Transport Minister Jesse NormanTransport Minister Jesse Norman
Transport Minister Jesse Norman

In 2012/13, two per cent of the city’s key roads needed repair work. However, this rose to five per cent in 2016/17 – a total of 2.2km (1.3 miles). While four per cent of minor roads needed to be patched, up from three per cent.

Meanwhile in Hampshire, the number of roads needing to be repaired has fallen.

Hampshire County Council, which is responsible for about 4,900 miles of highway across the county, needs to fix three per cent of routes.

This is dropped from 10 per cent in 2012/13, equating to almost 150 miles of highway which needed maintenance.