‘Houston we have a problem’ admitted county councillor Bill Hunt, vice chairman of the county council highways and community infrastructure, when he offered a public apology today for the number of potholes across Cambridgeshire.
“We have a problem, I want to say sorry and every pothole that exists is one too many, we’re all aware of what the situation is,” he said.
Cllr Hunt from Ely was speaking on the BBC Radio Cambridgeshire breakfast show that focused on the alarming number of potholes across the region.
Councillor Bill Hunt came on the show to tell his side of the story and explain what to do if you spot a pothole and the right process of reporting it.
He said: “We are repairing more potholes this year than any previous years – we’re getting more created this year, the weather has been such that we’ve had an increase in potholes.”
He said the county council had a helpline “and it helps us considerably if members of the public report the potholes, the number is 0345 04 55 212.
“Ideally you should wait and week for a reported pothole to be repaired but in some cases it does take longer than that.”
Cllr Hunt said: “We did increase our budget by over £2million last year and we had to force that through the council against the opposition and we are very aware of what our problems are.
“I really urge people to help us by reporting potholes, we are all on the same side and we want to see a pothole free county.
“Our job isn’t done until all the potholes are fixed, we are apologising to the public who is suffering and I understand how bad it is.”
One listener from Chatteris told the BBC: “It’s cost me over £500 in the last three months in tyres where I’ve hit potholes, I’ve had four new tyres on my car in the last 8 months and two of them were pothole damaged.
“The road between Ramsey Mereside and Pondersbridge is horrendous; you spend your whole time dodging them.
“If you go between Chatteris and Doddington before you get to the 40ft bend, that road is all cut up, I got a damaged alloy there no so long ago catching a rut, it’s pretty poor.”
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