Complaints about potholes across Sheffield's roads pour in as Amey admits extra teams needed despite £2bn deal
Motorists want Amey taken to task over the state of Sheffield’s roads despite their £2bn contract to fix potholes.
Sheffield City Council called a meeting for all councillors on Tuesday (February 17) under the weight of complaints over potholes.
Today (February 19), the council confirmed contractor Amey - which is midway through its 25-year-long ‘Streets Ahead’ contract worth £2bn to maintain the city’s highways - is drafting in extra repair teams.
But residents are not convinced, and feel the potholes are a result of Amey using ‘pat down’ repair measures to patch roads that deteriorate within weeks.
With so much attention on the issue, The Star has been inundated with complaints about which roads are worst.
One driver, Jack Hutchinson, had his tyre shredded by a pothole on Monday night (February 16) while exiting onto Sheffield Road from the Tinsley Roundabout - on one of the city’s busiest routes, which also makes up J34 of the M1.
Jack said: “It was dark and wet on Monday night and the pothole was full of water, so it looked normal.
“If a cyclist or a motorcyclist had hit it, it wouldn’t have ended well.
“I went straight into it. The car shook and I knew my tyre had popped.
“There were other drivers all around me and I couldn’t have avoided it even if I had seen it.”
Jack was able to return on foot the next day to see the pothole in daylight and was shocked at the size of it.
“I think you could fit a can of Coke in it,” Jack said.
“You can see all the stuff they filled it with to repair it that’s just come up again and covered the walkway, like gravel.
“There’s so many potholes up and down the country and they’re getting bigger and bigger and bigger. They cover them up, and then the cold weather hold and they fall apart again.”
In addition, The Star asked its readers to name the worst streets in Sheffield for potholes.
Across approximately 500 responses, the lengthy City Road from Manor Top to the city centre was brought up the most, with 12 separate complaints.
Batemoor Road, which runs around the entire length of Batemoor, was pointed to six times, with other culprits including Rivelin Valley Road, Hartley Brook Road and Dyche Road.
Reader Paul Wake wrote: “Jenkin road - If you're going down towards Meadowhall and hit the right pot hole you could possibly land in Meadowhall car park.”
“Rivelin Valley Road followed by Manchester Road for a start!” wrote Emma Loftus. “Swear a new one appears each day!”
“Arnold Avenue is a crater from the top all the way round to the bottom,” wrote Mick Miller. “Then pot holes all the way back to the main road, people think you have had a drink swerving to miss, just so you don’t buckle your alloys.”
“Firth Park Road, Page Hall, City Road - to be honest I could keep going” wrote Alison Maycock. “For some reason the pot holes are getting worse, our roads and paths are knackered.”
Ben Corbey: “Dangerous unlit high speed roads like A57 Manchester Road and Rivelin Valley Road.”
“Speed bumps through Firth Park are chassis rattlers for sure a glorious mix of deep pothole and ft tall speed bumps up towards Shiregreen from the library,” wrote Chlo Haigh.
Zhang Wei wrote: “I wrecked a tyre on Shepcote the other day. I went back a day later and they'd filled it in. I then got another puncture on Richmond.”
Lindsay Jane said: “Mickley Lane has so many holes it's like off-roading, but only the bottom half...then it changes to NE Derbyshire and it’s so different.”
Andrea Cooper wrote: “Most roads in Stocksbridge and Deepcar. Crater at the bottom on Knowles Avenue getting bigger by the day. Lorries don't help…”
Stephen Brownell said: “There was a hole on Moss Way recently, it was filled in around a month or so ago but it’s back again now.”
Ashley Mangham wrote: “Rivelin Valley Road. Amey say its not a concern causing £800 in damage because its not beyond the wearing course. Like hitting a kerb at 40mph.”
Amey, the contractor which runs the Streets Ahead programme to maintain the city’s road network, said more repair teams will be used to tackle the potholes.
Peter Anderson Managing Director of Amey's Transport Infrastructure Team, said: “Recent severe weather has had a significant impact across the UK, and we recognise the concerns and frustrations locally and are acting quickly to address them.
“[On Tuesday] Amey met with councillors to discuss the action we are taking and provide an update on the situation.
"Through the long‑term Streets Ahead programme, Amey has already been investing heavily in resurfacing and maintaining the city’s roads, and that commitment continues.
“Our focus remains on delivering lasting improvements while addressing immediate issues.
“We are using more resilient repair materials, adding more teams to deal with potholes and are scheduling permanent repairs as soon as conditions allow.
"All work is delivered to agreed quality standards, monitored jointly with the council.
“Our priority is supporting a reliable, safe road network for Sheffield - both now and in the years ahead.
“We would urge the residents to continue to report potholes so that repairs can be prioritised and carried out as quickly and effectively as possible.”