Mayor Announces Pot Hole Blitz

Lib Dem Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, has announced a £120,000 investment to repair more potholes and improve the borough's roads.

The funding will be used to pay for two additional Pot Hole Hit Squads who will start work shortly to tackle the pot holes which have appeared on the borough's roads following one of the coldest winters on record.

The Pothole Hit Squad service was launched in January 2011 to provide a quick response service to carry out permanent repairs to potholes. Since then they have repaired well over 7,500 pot holes across the borough.

The extremely cold weather has meant that temporary repairs have been required in some cases so far this winter. The two additional teams will help the Council to repair even more potholes across the borough throughout the Spring and Summer.

Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said: "Local residents will know only too well that this winter has been one of the coldest on record. In fact, March 2013 was colder than the previous three months and the joint coldest March for more than 100 years.

"This extremely cold weather has caused potholes to form on our roads and has also delayed our work to repair them.

"That is why we are investing £120,000 to introduce two additional Pot Hole Hit Squads to enable us to repair even more pot holes. This also demonstrates that improving the standard of our roads is a major priority."

Local residents can report a pothole by contacting the Highways Helpdesk on 01234 718003 or by visiting www.bedford.gov.uk and click on 'Report It'. All potholes will be assessed on a priority basis.