Council's £50m bid to curb city's pothole problem

NEWCASTLE City Council has unveiled new plans to spend £50m in a bid to try and curb the city's rampant pothole problem. It comes after estimates this summer that the total cost of repairing Newcastle's highways network is £250m.

- JAMES ROBINSON

Council leader Karen Kilgour admitted that the new cash would not be enough on its own, but that it would be used to tackle the most urgent repairs first. She also said she would continue to lobby the Government for further cash.

Council officers have been tasked with drawing up plans to invest the £50m into the highways network.

An initial £1m has already been allocated to some of the worst-affected roads in Newcastle, including the A193 Shields Road - carriageway resurfacing; A186 Station Road - carriageway resurfacing; C110 Tyne View - carriageway resurfacing; Regent Farm Road - carriageway resurfacing; Dremsheugh Place - footpath scheme; and A595 Scotswood Road - carriageway resurfacing.

Coun Kilgour said: "We know that our residents understandably find it frustrating, inconvenient and concerning when they see that their streets and pavements are damaged.

"It is a huge concern to us as well - and rest assured we do everything we can to deal with these problems. It is however an ongoing challenge to keep every street in the best possible condition, particularly given the limited resources we receive for this purpose.