State of Hucknall's roads branded 'shocking and dangerous' by county councillor

Coun Lee Waters (Ash Ind) was reacting to the release of new Department of Transport (DfT) figures that suggest around one in every 50 miles of main road in Nottinghamshire needs repairing.

He added that he felt one in five of all Hucknall’s roads needed serious attention and repair.

Council-run roads were surveyed in the 12 months to March 2021 and classed as ‘red’ if they should be considered for maintenance.

The DfT’s figures show two per cent of A roads in Nottinghamshire were put in this worst category – unchanged from in 2019-20 – while three per cent of B and C roads were also in need of work.

Coun Waters said: “There’s no doubt that the state of our broken roads and pavements is a huge issue for Hucknall residents.

"The Conservatives and Labour, who have run our county for forever, have systematically under invested in our highways in Hucknall.

"I welcome anybody or any organisation that shines a light on the shocking, dangerous state of Hucknall’s roads.

"I’d argue that one in five streets in Hucknall need serious attention and that is borne out by our postbag.

"The Ashfield Independents continue to push for dramatic improvements in Hucknall and our surrounding area.”

The proportion of A roads in need of repair in Nottinghamshire is below the average across England, where one in every 25 miles is in poor condition.

The examinations are largely done using scanner machines, which identify sections of road worn by use or affected by ruts, bumps or potholes.

However, the DfT said a different method was used in Nottinghamshire, which means the area should not be directly compared to others.

The DfT also said the proportion of Nottinghamshire roads in the red category is ‘stable’ following a slight increase during 2019-20, but there has been no change since 2015-16.

A recent AA survey indicated that nine out of 10 drivers want the Government to heavily invest in fixing local roads.

The organisation’s head of roads policy, Jack Cousens, said: “While the Government claims road conditions are ‘stable’, the harsh reality is that they are stuck in a rut.

“Road users don’t have to travel too far from home to see a plethora of potholes, fractured tarmac, worn away surfaces and faded road markings which make driving and cycling uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst.”

The DfT figures suggest the smallest roads in England are in an even worse condition than classified ones, with one in every six miles in the ‘red’ category.

In Nottinghamshire, 25 per cent of unclassified roads were in need of maintenance in 2020-21 – up from 23 per cent a year previously.

A DfT spokesman said: “The Government is investing more than £5 billion in roads maintenance over this Parliament, enough to fill in millions of potholes a year, repair dozens of bridges, and help resurface roads up and down the country.”