Potholes caused by ‘Big Freeze’ to cost Sefton £1m

Feb 5 2010 Liverpool Daily Post

Potholes being filled in by workmen

POTHOLES caused by the big freeze will cost Sefton Council a staggering £1m to repair.

Damage to the borough’s roads over the Christmas and New Year period was triggered by water flowing into cracks.

As it froze, parts of the roads expanded, causing thousands of potholes to emerge. Southport is said to be the worst area in the borough. A Sefton Council cabinet meeting yesterday discussed the issue.

A rise in council tax to tackle the problem was ruled out and it is expected that cash for repairs will now come from the council’s financial reserves.

Sefton Council environmental boss David Tattersall said: “The cost of repairing these potholes is estimated to be £1m over the next year. It will be funded by the reserves.

“The council quite sensibly has money reserves for unexpected costs like this.”