42,000 potholes fixed in Derbyshire in 2023 following numerous complaints by drivers and road users

Last week Chesterfield residents complained about the state of the local roads and named potholes around the down a ‘hazard’.

Derbyshire County Council has now revealed new data, showing 42,036 potholes have been fixed from January 1 to May 1, 2023.

The council said they mobilised extra road workers, who have been working weekends and longer hours in a bid to tackle potholes reported on the county’s roads.

Three jetpatcher machines have been used to help, mainly on rural roads. The Jetpatcher uses a high velocity air stream to clear existing holes of any debris and water as well as laying and compacting new Tarmac.

The council normally has 18 pothole-fixing gangs. Since the beginning of the year the aim has been to increase the number of gangs to 30 including the 3 Jetpatcher machines. Extra gangs have been created by moving road workers from other jobs.

This comes after research published in February named Derbyshire as the county with the largest percentage of A-roads and motorways in poor condition and requiring maintenance.

The council said the constant freezing and thawing, followed by rainfall at the beginning of the year had led to road cracking, resulting in a significant rise in the number of potholes and carriageway deterioration.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal said: “Our drive to blitz potholes is really making a difference, with more than 42,000 fixed this year so far.

“We always see a large number of potholes at this time of year as the weather takes a toll on the roads.

“We’ve put extra resources in and moved road workers from planned work to fixing potholes, and have asked them to work longer hours.

“We’ve also taken on three Jetpatcher machines, which are really helping on our more rural roads.

“I’d ask our residents to bear with us as we carry out the repairs, and apologise for any delays to road users while our gangs are out and about carrying out this vital work.”