Harrow crews fill 60 potholes a day

Gritting crews were tonight (Monday) set to take to Harrow's roads again as a fresh cold snap sent temperatures tumbling. Meanwhile, road crews are working to fill pothole damage.

The borough was set to send its six lorries out this evening and again early tomorrow with further runs likely throughout the week. Harrow's salt stocks currently stand at 292 tonnes - enough for eight days at the lowest spreading rate.
 
At the same time as Harrow prepares for more sub-zero temperatures, the borough revealed it had repaired nearly 700 pot holes caused by the cold spell earlier this year. The scale of damage is put at around £2 million by the borough's engineers.   Harrow Highways teams are now tackling 60 potholes a day - twice the usual rate of 30 - as the scale of damage caused by the cold snap becomes clear.  The Council has a 32-strong team currently working six days a week on tackling the issue.   Harrow Council has hired two new highway inspectors - who respond to all damage reports by patrolling roads and footpaths in the borough - who start work this month. Each damage report is inspected and photographed, so the team can prioritise each job in order of importance.   Cllr Susan Hall, portfolio holder for the environment, said: "We're doubling our daily workload to get on top of the problem but this is going to take some weeks. We're going as fast as we can with repairs so I hope residents can bear with us."
 
The repair team fixes all trip hazards and potholes by using a saw cutter to level out the uneven surfaces, before cleaning, filling and sealing the areas. Traffic management plans are put in place during these works to ensure all drivers and pedestrians can safely pass the sites.   Pothole damage from the worst winter weather for 30 years took place across the country as water seeped into gaps in roads and pavements, expanding as it froze. In many cases that effect was intensified when rock salt, spread by gritting teams, became part of the mix.

Source: Harrow Council

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