Sheffield labelled 'pot-hole' city by poll

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 26th Mar 2007

In a poll carried out by the BBC Sheffield came out top as the worst place for potholes in the UK.

Sheffield has once again been labelled 'pothole' city. In a poll carried out by the BBC Sheffield came out top as the worst place for potholes in the UK. Local Lib Dems are calling for the council to take urgent action. Sheffield's roads have always had a bad reputation due to years of under investment that allowed them to fall into disrepair. Under Labour the road repairs budget has suffered in part due to the large debts the council has had to manage, such as the huge World Student Games debt.

Recently the Council announced that it would be bidding to receive investment from Government to sort out Sheffield's pothole problem. However under the scheme investment wouldn't kick in until 2010. The scheme could be completed between 2015 and 2020 meaning some roads would not be repaired for over 13 years.

Local Lib Dems are calling on the council to put more resources in now. They believe local people are fed up with the state of their roads and cannot wait potentially 13 years for their local roads to be brought up to a decent standard.

Councillor Paul Scriven, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said: -

"It comes as no surprise that Sheffield once again claims this unwanted accolade. The problem has built up through years of under investment due to the council struggling with huge debts, built up by Labour white elephants such as the World Student Games"

"Local people have been telling me that sorting out the roads is one of their top priorities. Therefore I support the council's bid for extra investment to deal with the problem. However, I also recognise that even if we are successful some local residents may not see their local roads repaired until 2020"

"The people of Sheffield are fed up with potholes and want to see action from the council now. Labour's Town Hall bosses must listen to these calls and outline a plan of investment that will accelerate the process of getting rid of Sheffield's image as pothole city"