Potholes are filled at the rate of one every 12 minutes in Milton Keynes, council announces

Potholes on city roads are filled at the rate of one every 12 minutes, the council has announced.

New figures released today (Thursday) show more than 15,000 potholes have been filled since the start of the council year.

But the statistic has left some people wondering why there are still so many unrepaired potholes on the roads.

"With those figures, you’d think MK would run out of potholes,” said one driver. “But no, everywhere I go in the city I am seeing them. They’re a menace.”

The Progressive Alliance, which runs Milton Keynes City Council, says the equivalent of 59 repairs per working day were carried out between April 2023 and March 2024.

CllrJennifer Wilson-Marklew, Labour Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said: "We are not able to fix every pothole, but Milton Keynes has been recognised for having some of the best quality roads in the country and this is despite receiving less money from central government year on year.”

She added: “I’m thrilled that our Highways teams have been repairing the equivalent of 59 potholes per day so far this year, our teams are out in all-weather, all year round working hard to reduce the impact on residents.

Last year, Milton Keynes was ranked as one of the top 10 areas for driving in England, despite the City Council having to make over £200m in cuts since 2010.

Each year, the council puts together a work programme to repair defects and maintain roads across the city.

However, like all local authorities Milton Keynes City Council have access to a limited budget set by central government, which means that potholes that are classed as safety critical will be prioritised first.

This may involve doing a temporary repair to make it safe and then returning to do a permanent repair later on.

Lib Dem Councillor Robin Bradburn, Deputy Leader of Milton Keynes City Council, said: “Unfortunately, no matter where you go potholes are inevitable, but these figures clearly show Labour and Lib Dem councillors are committed to continually improving roads and reducing the impact potholes have on residents. Thousands of people use our roads everyday so it’s important that they are maintained to a high-standard, which we continue to do.”

The council says potholes can appear in between inspections, especially over winter months due to the weather conditions, so they urge people to report any they see on the roads and footways. People can use the Report It section on the council website or call 01908 252353.

If you consider a pothole to be an emergency safety issue, call 01908 252353 (office hours) or 01908 226699 (out of hours).

A council spokesperson said: “All potholes reported will be checked by highways inspectors if they are on the adopted highway. They will decide on whether it poses a safety risk to road users or if it does not meet our intervention level.

“Smaller potholes with a depth under 4cm do not generally pose a safety risk to road users.

Larger potholes, over 4cm deep, will be assessed to see if they need an emergency repair (within a few hours) or they can be scheduled in for repair during the following 28 days.”