Town's potholes are major issue, say residents

Potholes in a Shropshire town are a "major issue", according to residents urging the council to fix them.

People living in Market Drayton claimed some of the holes blighting the town had a depth of 17cm (7in).

Shropshire Council said it had repaired 35, 850 potholes and resurfaced 65 miles (105km) of roads in 2024.

It said while preventative work was being carried out to stop potholes forming, residents needed to report them to get them fixed.

Resident Neil Johnson told BBC Radio Shropshire potholes were "everywhere".

He said: "There are so many major roundabouts in the town that have them and the way [Shropshire Council] fix them is not doing the job.

"They are doing a temporary fix, and within a few weeks, a month, they are gone again."

Another resident, Elaine Mountford, added that cars were being damaged by them.

The authority said councillors would "blitz" roads on Thursday and report issues via the FixMyStreet app.

Town mayor Roy Aldcroft said residents should use the app to report potholes rather than posting them on social media.

According to the AA, pothole damage costs drivers about £600m a year, with an average car repair costing £300.

This year, Shropshire Council has allocated an extra £9m to repair roads but has not yet decided exactly how it will spend the money.

A spokesperson added: "Minimising the whole life cost of constructing and treating carriageway assets will be a key consideration. Also, where major intervention is required, repairs will be sufficient for at least 10 years."

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