Hounslow Residents Urged To Call 'Pothole Busters'
If there is damage to the road in your neighbourhood
Who you gonna call? Pothole Busters!
Hounslow Council is urging borough residents to report potholes on local roads with a special team of ‘Pothole Busters’ ready to be deployed.
The Council say the road maintenance operative team will deal with any reports quickly.
Councillor Guy Lambert, Lead Member for Highways, Recycling and Trading Companies said, “We know that the repair of potholes is something that really matters to the people of Hounslow. The council has listened and made it one of our key priorities. Hounslow Highways already does an excellent job of maintaining our roads and public highways but doesn’t have the capacity to monitor all the road defects all of the time. This is where the public can help - and the message is very clear – If you see a pothole, report it!”
A pothole is a widely used term to describe damage to a road or carriageway. Potholes are usually formed during the winter months as a direct result of snow, ice and prolonged periods of rain and occur where an area of the road’s surface has been broken up and dispersed. Potholes are an inevitable part of urban life because our busy west London roads are heavily used, but they are hazardous as they can damage cars and pose a danger to cyclists and pedestrians.
The boroughs roads have been maintained under contract by Hounslow Highways since January 2013. Since taking over, a significant amount of work has been undertaken including the resurfacing of approximately 206km of carriageways and 230km of footpaths. The first ever State of the City Report on London’s highways, produced earlier this year found that out of 32 London boroughs, only Westminster and Hounslow have a maintenance backlog considered ‘low’.
The borough has historically had quite a low number of claims relating to damage caused by potholes. In financial year 2014/5 only two of 66 claims against Hounslow Council relating to pothole damage were successful with just 919 paid out. This was down from 2012/3 when 8 out of 30 claims were successful resulting in £3,347. Even this number is a small fraction of the £285,685 paid out by Hampshire Council which had over 1,000 claims against in in financial year 2014/5. We have asked the Council to provide more recent figures but have yet to receive a reply.
The council say that their pothole pledge underlines that they see dealing with potholes as a key priority. The council website guides residents on how to report potholes and they can follow the progress of their case online. All roads and highways in the borough are routinely inspected for defects, but potholes can quickly deteriorate, so early intervention is crucial. However, ‘potholes’ or road defects can take many forms and not all need immediate repair. By reporting a road defect, Hounslow Highways will inspect it and, if necessary, it will be dealt with quickly. If a road defect is not considered urgent, it will be kept under review and repaired once considered necessary.
October 25, 2018