Devon drivers face big increase in potholes

A Devon council says it has recorded more potholes so far this month than it did in the whole of January last year.

Up until 20 January, 4,156 potholes were recorded in the Devon County Council area, compared with 3,494 in January 2022.

The council blamed consecutive freezing temperatures and rain, "the worst possible combination for our roads".

The Department for Transport said more than £5bn was being spent from 2020 to 2025 on highways maintenance.

Jeremy Luck, a taxi driver from Totnes, said: "It's the worst I've ever seen by a huge margin.

"On a nearly daily basis we're getting calls from people who've been stranded by the damage caused to their vehicles. I've never seen anything like it."

Louisa Pittaway, manager of Station Garage in Totnes, said she was getting more calls from customers with pothole damage to their cars.

"They're just absolutely fuming," she said.

"It's an unnecessary thing to have to pay for and people just can't really afford it at the moment, to be losing money having tyres and expensive wheels replaced."

Christopher Nicks, chair of Bow Parish Council in mid Devon, said the road through the village was now "beyond potholes" and he said the county council "never listened".

Devon County Council declined to comment on its response to the parish council's complaints.

It said in a statement: "The current cycle of prolonged freezing weather followed by very wet spells is the worst possible combination for our roads.

"We are doing all we can to maintain the network in the best possible condition to keep Devon moving."

The Department for Transport said its spending on roads, including the Potholes Fund announced at the 2020 Budget, would "fill millions of potholes a year, repair dozens of bridges, and resurface roads up and down the country".

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