Council: '˜We aren't ignoring most potholed street in Northampton'

The Chron told yesterday how people in Wheatfield Gardens, Abington, claimed it has not been resurfaced in the 50 years they have lived there and shot a video showing hundreds of potholes.

Northamptonshire County Council said the fact the holes have not been fixed may mean they are not seen as dangerous.

A spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately not all defects will be classed as safety defects since they will not be of sufficient severity to warrant action immediately, this doesn’t mean that there are no defects present.

“We appreciate that this may give the impression that we are ignoring problems, but we have to prioritise our limited maintenance funding and resources and cannot fix all defects reported to us immediately.”

For potholes on local access roads, the council will only take action if it is 50mm deep or 250mm wide.

The spokesman said: “Our priority is to keep the network safe for all road and footway users, drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike, and in practice this is achieved through our systems of regular inspections, as well as investigating reports from members of the public.”