Contractor's pothole repairs criticised by Cambridgeshire council
In March, council highways committee papers stated "response times and quality of work is a continued concern" when referring to their M Group contract, which is for a range of services including pothole repairs.One of the fixes criticised in council audits - obtained through a Freedom of Information request - was on Meadow Way in Wimblington. A group of six or so small pothole repairs was labelled "ridiculous" and the papers said they should all be made into one patch, rather than a series of smaller square patches that overlap.Janette Page said she and fellow residents were unhappy about the state of the local roads, adding: "Why they can't do a complete overhaul of the whole road I don't know; all comes down to money I'm assuming."
In May, repair work was carried on Priory Road in St Neots town centre.Two weeks later, the council went out and said it was: "Not very good at all, areas marked up by [council] officers have not been carried out, dimensions smaller than marked out, clearly shows where pothole needed repair as breaking up but wasn't carried out."They said the "potholes have only been completed 14 days and already fail", concluding that it was "very poor workmanship in my opinion".
Andrea Curkovic, who lives opposite the Priory Road potholes, said workers "keep coming back and doing repair work and it never seems to last long". "I'm just concerned the work that they're doing is pointless. Realistically perhaps at this point resurfacing the road might be more valuable than the work that they're currently doing."Later that month, a council official said the potholes repairs outside Quy Mill Hotel spa in Stow-cum-Quy "in my opinion are very poorly laid/marked out".
Alex Beckett, chairman of the council's highways committee, said: "We are always pushing for better quality."We have been challenging our contractors hard. I have been pleased with the way they've responded to that; we have seen the quality is improving."We do somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 pothole repairs every year. Not all of those will be perfect."What's really important is when those pothole repairs do not meet our standards we do not pay for it or we get them redone."The contract is up for renewal in 2027, and Beckett said the council was "looking at all options".Matthew Riches, operations director at M Group Highways, said they were "committed to continuous improvement"."We work collaboratively with Cambridgeshire County Council to deliver more than 50,000 pothole repairs annually, within required standards and the contractual terms determined by our client," he said."We are mindful of the funding constraints and wider highways maintenance challenges under which our client operates."He said they had "consistently exceeded 98%" in reaching contractual key performance indicators.
Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Contractor's pothole repairs criticised by Cambridgeshire council
Some pothole repairs by a major highways contractor have been called "ridiculous", "unbelievable" and are failing within weeks, according to a local County Council said its £51m-a-year contract with M Group had not delivered the "service levels expected or required".In documents seen by the BBC, when reviewing individual repairs council officials have seen "very poor workmanship", and in one case claimed the "photo say[s] it all".M Group said it was working "collaboratively" with the council to deliver more than 50,000 pothole repairs annually "within required standards". In March, council highways committee papers stated "response times and quality of work is a continued concern" when referring to their M Group contract, which is for a range of services including pothole of the fixes criticised in council audits - obtained through a Freedom of Information request - was on Meadow Way in Wimblington. A group of six or so small pothole repairs was labelled "ridiculous" and the papers said they should all be made into one patch, rather than a series of smaller square patches that Page said she and fellow residents were unhappy about the state of the local roads, adding: "Why they can't do a complete overhaul of the whole road I don't know; all comes down to money I'm assuming." In May, repair work was carried on Priory Road in St Neots town weeks later, the council went out and said it was: "Not very good at all, areas marked up by [council] officers have not been carried out, dimensions smaller than marked out, clearly shows where pothole needed repair as breaking up but wasn't carried out."They said the "potholes have only been completed 14 days and already fail", concluding that it was "very poor workmanship in my opinion". Andrea Curkovic, who lives opposite the Priory Road potholes, said workers "keep coming back and doing repair work and it never seems to last long". "I'm just concerned the work that they're doing is pointless. Realistically perhaps at this point resurfacing the road might be more valuable than the work that they're currently doing."Later that month, a council official said the potholes repairs outside Quy Mill Hotel spa in Stow-cum-Quy "in my opinion are very poorly laid/marked out". Alex Beckett, chairman of the council's highways committee, said: "We are always pushing for better quality."We have been challenging our contractors hard. I have been pleased with the way they've responded to that; we have seen the quality is improving."We do somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 pothole repairs every year. Not all of those will be perfect."What's really important is when those pothole repairs do not meet our standards we do not pay for it or we get them redone."The contract is up for renewal in 2027, and Beckett said the council was "looking at all options".Matthew Riches, operations director at M Group Highways, said they were "committed to continuous improvement"."We work collaboratively with Cambridgeshire County Council to deliver more than 50,000 pothole repairs annually, within required standards and the contractual terms determined by our client," he said."We are mindful of the funding constraints and wider highways maintenance challenges under which our client operates."He said they had "consistently exceeded 98%" in reaching contractual key performance indicators. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
'Le Mans with mowers' - Inside the 12-hour race
BBC Every year in West Sussex, dozens of drivers line up at the start of a prestigious motor race - but the vehicles might be more at home in a back garden, and there is no tarmac in sight. This is Le Mow, an annual 12-hour lawn mower race in Wisborough Green, known as the most affordable way to take part in competitive motorsport. It runs all through the night, from 19:00 BST to 07:00 BST and whoever makes the most laps around the track wins. "I've raced cars on circuits and nothing feels as fast as this, they can get up to 55mph," Callum McIntyre, who is competing in this year's race, told the BBC. Competitors stop every 45 minutes to pull into the pit lane, refuel, and fix damages to the mower - or to the drivers. "I've not had any bad injuries, only broken ribs," Callum's teammate Glyn Saunders, 54, said. Teams are typically made up of three drivers who share the effort throughout the 12 hours. Just finishing the race is a huge achievement. Daz Whitehead, of the team Northerners Kick Grass, is the most successful driver in the history of the race. Last year's victory earned him his seventh overall win, coming 26 years after his first, but this year his goals have changed. "Mark Rostron, who was part of our winning team last year, sadly passed away a couple days after last year's race," Mr Whitehead said. "The idea is just to race in his memory and what will be will be in terms of result." 'No better feeling' Lawn mower racing was dreamt up in 1973 at a pub in Wisborough Green by a group of friends bemoaning the state of motorsport and commercialisation. One suggested they race lawn mowers and reclaim the sport's values. Fifty two years later, this still remains true. "It's one of the cheapest forms of motorsport, which is probably why most people are getting into it," Nick Webb, who is competing for the first time this year, said. "The cart will probably cost you about £1,000, and the entrance fee's £65." Indianna Winchester, 28, competed in motocross when she was younger but when her brothers started a lawn mower team, she could not resist getting involved. "It's a different kind of sport," she said. "The endurance is obviously so much longer and there's no suspension, so the back takes a bit of a beating." Despite previous female-only lawn mower races drumming up interest in the sport, Winchester a is the only woman taking part in this year's race. "It would be nice to see some more women coming through," she said. "I think if you've got the heart for it then why not go for it? There is no better feeling than beating the boys." Alfie Walliss, 23, has lived in Wisborough Green his entire life but only recently made the race something of an annual tradition. "We always saw signs but assumed it was just a cutting grass competition," he said. "Two years ago me and my family popped in and had a great time. We've never looked back." Whether a team comes 1st, 40th or doesn't end up finishing, they are all bonded by the comradery of taking on such a demanding feat. "I can confidentially say I've got 200 friends out there. And they're all friends," Peter Hammerton, the event's president said. "It's my life's hobby and I've never even raced a mower." At the end of a long 12 hours, Bullseye Racing emerged as the winner's of this year's race. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Wisborough Green
BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
Serious collision shuts M11 southbound carriageway near Harlow
The M11's southbound carriageway has been shut following a serious crash, National Highways incident involving a motorcycle and a car was reported at 16:00 BST, leading to the road between junction seven at Harlow and junction six – the M25 turn-off – being southbound carriageway was expected to remain closed for the rest of the evening. Diversions are in northbound carriageway has reopened after being closed to allow the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance to land. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
