Selston councillor slams 'worst road repair ever' after emergency pothole fix in village

Nottinghamshire Council used the controversial ViaFix treatment to repair dozens of potholes all within a few metres of each other on the street outside 100-106 Mansfield Road, Selston, last week after residents and local councillors demanded action.

But now Coun David Martin, who represents Selston on the authority and called for the repair, has slammed the result as “embarrassing” – even going as far as to describe it as the “worst road repair ever”.

He said: “How anyone can find this pathetic job acceptable is beyond me.

“It is an embarrassment. County Hall claims residents are telling them they can see an improvement in the roads. I’d invite them to come to Mansfield Road, Selston, see for themselves this job and commit to putting it right.

“This is the worst road repair I’ve ever seen. The process of fixing our highways is as broken as our roads and pavements.”

Coun Neil Clarke, council cabinet member for transport and environment, reassured residents emergency repairs like these are the first part of an ongoing process.

It follows a huge highways review which has led to a £12 million investment over the next three years to double ‘patching teams’ from four to eight as it shifts towards a ‘right repair, right-first-time’ approach.

Coun Clarke said: “Coun Martin voted unanimously for our new approach to road repairs. He knows better than anyone the size of the challenge we face due to the road maintenance backlog we inherited, exacerbated by current cold and wet weather conditions which cause further damage to our roads.

“Our repair team visited Mansfield Road, Selston, to make urgent initial repairs to fill the potholes, to ensure the road remains safe for road-users. We plan to undertake further, large-scale resurfacing works on that road this summer.

“Our road repair teams face a tough enough task at this time of year without the likes of Coun Martin making cheap attacks on their work.

“These emergency repairs are the first part of an ongoing process to make more extensive repairs to their roads, which will take time to complete.

“We thank residents in Selston for their patience and we will get on with this work in due course.”