Icy spell doubles Wolverhampton pothole repairs

Council chiefs say they have carried out work at a total of 260 sites across the city during January compared to the 127 which were reported in December.

The bad weather in recent weeks is said to have caused the increase. Wolverhampton Council spokesman Tim Clark said: "Every single pothole which our workers discovered or was reported to us by the public was repaired.

"The most serious potholes are repaired within two hours, less serious ones are repaired the next day and minor potholes are repaired within 28 days.

The repair of potholes is a key area of performance for the council and is monitored by senior managers."

He added: "The increase is down to the snow and the freezing conditions and it is what we would expect for this time of year. If ice gets into what could be a minor defect it will expand. We always see an increase when we have a significant period of cold weather."

At the end of last year the council was given £527,000 by the Government to repair and maintain roads and the local authority called on drivers who came across potholes to contact them.

There were 45 potholes listed in December 2011 and 69 in December 2010.

Wolverhampton City Council employs several teams to carry out repairs at an annual cost of more than £500,000.

Some of Wolverhampton's busiest routes have been hit by potholes, including Tettenhall Road, Compton Road and Willenhall Road. In 2011 the council had to deal with 1,297 potholes.

Last year Staffordshire County Council had to pay out £26,000 to motorists who claimed their cars were damaged by potholes.