Pothole pothole wherefore art thou pothole !

If only the above were true. You know there is an issue when the subject of potholes makes it onto the Today programme on Radio 4 which indeed it did today.  So it is with joy in our hearts that your lib dem team confirm that the pothole nightmare on Park Avenue moves one step closer to being sorted out following a visit today from the Highways Team from Sefton Council.  During their visit the team marked out a large number of pot holes along the length of the road and this is normally taken as a sign that they will be filled shortly.


Councillor Sue McGuire inspects a series of pot holes on Garstang Road - these holes have now been filled in following action by your LIb Dem Team.

If you have concerns about potholes in your road then please pass on the details to your Lib Dem team.

The case of the missing grit !

Remember this - Park Avenue in the snow in the days before Christmas last year. Whilst it looks picturesque, your Lib Dem team can confirm that there were huge problems with a lack of gritting on this road. In fact, your Lib Dem team asked a number of times during the freezing weather why the ice was still on Park Avenue when it was visibly cleared from Park Road and Roe Lane. We were continually told that the road had been gritted and it was just the lack of traffic (!) or the weather which was causing the ice to remain.

Having a Sherlock Holmes moment - councillor Sue McGuire went through the Winter Service Policy with a fine tooth comb to see if she could find any other reason for this obvious lack of gritting, only to discover that yes indeed Park Avenue was included in the list of roads to be gritted however it was NOT included in the actual list of roads and map which is given to each of the drivers fo the gritting vehciles. Which meant that in reality Park Avenue DID NOT GET GRITTED. Following this piece of effective detective work by your LIb Dem Councillors Sefton Council have now confirmed that Park Avenue will in future be included as part of the gritting route.

One consequence of this lack of grit however has been the creation of some very large pot holes especially at the roundabout junction with Park Crescent and Albert Road. Your Lib Dem team are asking for action to be taken as a matter of urgency since Park Avenue is part of the designated HGV route in this area of Southport.

Frost Pothole Legacy

The recent very cold weather has left a legacy of potholes throughout our area which your Lib Dem team are trying to get repaired as quickly as possible. Councillors Sue McGuire and Carmel Preston are joining MP John Pugh in calling on the council to take emergency action before potholes opened up by the ice and snow damage residents cars.
As Sue explains “We need a highway rapid response team as the recent damage caused by the bad weather cannot wait for routine maintenance. Emergency repairs are called for in many places before anymore damage is done to cars. These are exceptional times and we need an exceptional response.”

It may be that in some of the worst places there is a history of poor maintenance but some surfaces are so poor now, the problem needs to be sorted in days not weeks. The effect on traffic is not only damaging but potentially dangerous.

Water penetrates the cracks/crazing evident in any aged carriageway and then freezes under sub zero temperatures. The expanded ice formation then places significant pressure on the adjacent bituminous surface, which then starts to break up, with potholes forming. Further freeze/thaw patterns then exacerbate the problem at individual locations.

Potholes have been reported on Park Avenue, Knowsley Road, Leicester Street, Manchester Road, Queens Road, Marshside Road, Park Road West, Roe Lane and Garstang Road
If you are aware of any potholes which need repairing please let us know or alternatively your can report the site on-line at www.fixmystreet.com