15/01/2024 - Council repairs record number of potholes in a year and increases investment to stop them forming

The council has spent over £5 million in 2023 dealing with potholes with various patching repairs, resurfacing works and other treatments.

In partnership with their highway maintenance contractor, VolkerHighways, the council has also repaired 1,470 carriageway defects, resurfaced 50,000 square metres of roads, and treated over 150,000 square metres of carriageway to prevent potholes occurring.

The surface treatment programme will keep roads in good condition for longer, stopping cracks and potholes forming and improving skid resistance - making roads safer and smoother to travel on.

Surface treatments are also more carbon efficient than other repair methods. This is because work is done to improve the current surface of the road, therefore there is no need to replace it with new asphalt. 

The treatments used in Luton include; surface dressing, asphalt preservation, asphalt rejuvenation and micro asphalt. 

Councillor Javed Hussain, portfolio holder for sustainable development and highways at Luton Council said: “This sort of work is vital in the fight against potholes. By investing in protecting and preserving our roads now, we are stopping them forming in the future. Not only are we taking massive strides toward decarbonising our road repair process, but we will be saving money in the future.”

Jerry Pert, Operations Director at VolkerHighways, said: “Potholes are an issue that is affecting all local authorities across the UK due to ageing roads and the harsh weather conditions we are experiencing. Our teams are working hard to respond to these challenges, and we are proud to have repaired over 2,000 potholes and implemented new and sustainable asphalt preservation techniques in Luton during 2023, which are being moved forward into 2024 and beyond.”

In 2024 the council anticipates that it will be spending more than ever with over £5.5 million on road maintenance in Luton. The full programme of works will be published in the spring.

The government has committed additional funding for road maintenance this year for every local authority across the UK. While we are working hard to reduce the number of potholes forming on our roads, which are due to many factors, including harsh weather, it is inevitable we will still see some potholes.

The council tries, whenever possible, to repair potholes permanently first time. However, there will be occasions when some potholes will be repaired using temporary solutions if a repair is needed urgently.  These temporary fixes will then be followed by a permanent repair, later.

If you see a pothole please report it via our website and we will aim to assess it within two working days. If it is really deep then please call us on 01582 501333, or e-mail [email protected] and we will aim to assess it that day.