Sheffield councillor calls for crackdown on contractor Amey after pothole repair fails in 13 days
A pothole repair that lasted two weeks has been branded ‘clearly inadequate’ amid calls for a crackdown on contractors.
A large pothole on Rushdale Road in Meersbrook was filled after local councillors posted photos of themselves online measuring it on February 12.
It had been patched when The Star visited on February 13.
But on February 25 the repair had gone and the pothole was back, surrounded by gravel.
Councillor Marianne Elliot said it was “clearly inadequate” and demanded greater scrutiny of private company Amey, which has a £2.2bn contract over 25 years to maintain streets.
It comes amid an avalanche of complaints about potholes and repairs following record breaking rain in January and February.
She said: “We posted about the pothole after receiving standard responses from Amey stating they would repair it within 28 days - but they might not achieve that because they were busy.
“Amey now accepts its filler is not robust enough and they have changed it. But where is the quality control and what are the penalties?
“I’m told one team can fill 10 potholes a day. But how many teams are there?
“Is the council challenging Amey enough on this when it is affecting so many roads in South Yorkshire?”
Amey was approached for comment about Rushdale Road on February 13 and February 25 but has yet to respond to The Star.
It aims to undertake temporary pothole repairs within 28 days before returning to do a permanent one.
In a written response to Coun Elliot it said it has been using ‘bag mix’ for temporary repairs for several years but it had started to fail before the 28-day period for a temporary patch due to rainfall and saturated roads this year.
It added: “As soon as we realised that the bag mix was not coping with the amount of water saturation, we switched to a water activated product (Viafix) and this is now being used for all temp repairs.
“We are confident that this will remain in place until the permanent repair is carried out.”
Peter Anderson Managing Director of Amey's Transport Infrastructure Team, recently 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.
"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.”