How potholes are dealt with in Preston looks set to change.

Lancashire County Council is reviewing its policy for fixing potholes, to prioritise the busiest roads across the county and the most serious holes.

At the moment the county council says it aims to repair all potholes 4cm or more in depth within 20 working days.

It will also allow the county council to better ‘rebut claims against the authority’ – according to a report to councillors –  for drivers who claim their car was damaged by a pothole.

A new system would see potholes which are reported as being 15cm or greater in depth and 30cm wide fixed within one working day.

Sliding scales are then used for smaller potholes with five day, 10 day and 20 day targets.

Cabinet member for highways and transport county councillor Keith Iddon said: “We have inspectors working year-round to check our roads are safe. Our repair gangs fix any defects found from this work as well as responding to reports from the public.

“Safety is always our top priority, and we already aim to respond quickly to serious defects and emergency situations.

“However the way we currently monitor performance does not reflect this risk-based approach, as the target we set ourselves is to repair all potholes within 20 working days. Whilst this is a good thing to achieve, it is also important that we prioritise the most serious defects and busiest roads and the revised policy makes this much clearer.”

The new system means those on rural roads around Preston could find a longer wait for potholes to be fixed.

The county council says moving to the new system also helps ensure it continues to receive the highest level of funding from the Department for Transport.

County councillor Iddon said: “This more rigorous regime means we’ll be able to better monitor our performance, hold ourselves to account, and ensure we’re directing resources where they’re most needed.

“I’m aware that the wet and freezing weather we’ve been experiencing lately means we have a lot of potholes to repair at the moment, and these conditions can lead to a small crack becoming a potentially dangerous pothole very quickly.

“We’re repairing them as soon as we can, and people will start to notice the difference as the weather improves and fewer potholes are appearing. This revised policy will help to ensure that we’re focused on repairing the worst damage quickly to ensure our roads are safe. Our budget proposal to council next week includes an extra £5m to repair potholes.”

The proposals will be considered by councillors at the cabinet meeting on Thursday 1 February.

Recent potholes reported in Preston

These are the five recent reports of potholes across Preston from the website FixMyStreet:

1) Large pothole in Manchester Road, Queen Street, Avenham Lane junction.

What FixMyStreet says: “As you drive East from Avenham Lane onto Queen Street traversing Manchester Road a large pothole is encountered which in my opinion needs urgent attention. It is just next to or within the circumference of the mini roundabout outline.”

Reported on Tuesday 30 January

2) Deep drain in cycle path in Sharoe Green Lane near Royal preston Hospital

What FixMyStreet says: “This drain hole, alongside the bus stop outside Royal Preston Hospital, is at least 3″ deep and very rough. It is a danger to cyclists and pedestrians who might step into it by the bus stop. Pleas fix this danger as soon as possible.”

Reported on Tuesday 30 January

3) Pothole a couple of feet into the road in Bleasdale Road, Inglewhite

What FixMyStreet says: “Hit it inadvertently at about 20mph and on top of the normal loud bang a nearly new tyre was punctured and ruined. Looking out for potholes is the norm on Lancashire bye roads but this one did not stand out which means that others will hit it as well.”

Reported on Monday 29 January.

4) Massive potholes in Fulwood, in Black Bull Lane and the surrounding area

What FixMyStreet says: “Large and very dangerous potholes here and nearly everywhere on Black Bull Lane, Janice Drive & Northway. These could kill a cyclist in near future. Some been filled unprofessionally and are now falling apart already.”

Reported on Saturday 27 January.

5) Pothole in Northway

A pothole outside Number 1 Northway.

Reported on Wednesday 24 January

How to report a pothole

You can use the free website and app FixMyStreet which allows you to put a pin in a map to say where the pothole is, and then it sends the report to the county council.

This keeps a public log of the potholes so you can see when they get fixed and how many people are reporting them.

You can also report potholes directly to Lancashire County Council using their online report it function.

What do you think about the potholes proposal? Let us know in the comments below