Wiltshire Council are doing something about potholes. Yes, some have been filled in. Council workmen have been round with buckets of tarmac and heavy boots, pouring the tarmac into the holes and stamping on them a few times.
But they are now doing more. They have organised a ‘Webinar’, which will take place between 6-7pm on Monday June 19 and they will then tell us about the potholes. Or, as they state in the release – we can ‘find out more about how the council manages potholes in the county’.
The webinar will be hosted by Cllr Caroline Thomas, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport (and Wiltshire Councillor for Marlborough East) and will enable people to find out how potholes are inspected, prioritised and filled throughout the county, as well as information on long-term maintenance schedules and resurfacing.
There will also be the opportunity for people to ask questions to the panel, and people can also submit written questions beforehand – though questions should be focused on the general issue of potholes and highways maintenance, rather than specific potholes.
Cllr Thomas said: “We know how passionate people are about potholes, and this is a good opportunity for people to find out more about what we’re doing across the county to tackle the issue.
“The recent increase in the number of potholes is a national issue that has been caused by hot and dry summer of 2022, combined with the very wet and then cold weather experienced this past winter, which has created the ideal conditions for potholes to form.
“One of our Business Plan commitments is to have well-connected communities, and that’s why we’re doing all we can to tackle the problem.
“People want to know what we’re doing about the issue, and that’s why we’re hosting this webinar – to enable people to find out more and ask questions about the way we tackle potholes in Wiltshire.”
Click here to sign up for the webinar.
Once signed up, the council will email people the joining link for the webinar on the morning of Monday 19 June. For the best experience, people should download Microsoft Teams to their computer or mobile device to access the webinar.
To report potholes, people should go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/MyWilts
But the Pothole pictured above, which technically isn’t a pothole is still there, in Upper Fyfield, two months after it was reported. It was then more than two inches deep, so were it to be classed as a pothole, it would be ‘priority’, and to be filled in ‘within seven days’. But it isn’t a Pothole, so it’s still there, and is now probably more than three inches deep which would make it a top priority pothole ‘normally dealt with within 24 hours’ – were it actually a pothole.
Why isn’t it a pothole? Because it’s due to poor ‘workmanship’. The contractor that dug up the road (recently, the paint marks are still there) forgot to put any (or enough) ballast into the hole before topping it off with tarmac. The first wheel going over pushed it down. Then the next, down further, and so on. The road surface sunk, and has continued to sink but without breaking up. So it’s not a pothole, just the product of *********** workmanship…….
Marlborough needs the Jubilee Centre, and the Jubilee Centre needs you
