A SURVEY has found the number of legal claims made by motorists for vehicle damage caused by potholes in the borough has fallen by 67 per cent.

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) figures show legal claims across Greater Manchester stands at a record 2,127 – an increase of 25 per cent.

But in Wigan borough, legal claims went from 183 in 2017/18 down to 59 in 2018/19.

The number of complaints about potholes has fallen across Greater Manchester.

Complaints are down by nearly a third, to 26,186 in 2018/19 from almost 40,000 the previous year.

In the borough, there were 1,769 complaints in 2018/19, compared to 1,820 in 2017/18.

There was £5.17m spent on road repairs in 2018/19, up from £992,200 the year before.

Leigh Journal:

Phil Thompson

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FSB area lead for Greater Manchester, Phil Thompson, said: “It’s great to see that most of the councils in GM splurging cash on their road networks, but it’s definitely a work in progress as our data shows.

"The rising number of complaints about vehicle damage suggests there are some really nasty roads still out there, with some very damaging and in fact probably quite dangerous craters which need to be prioritised.

"I would urge all road users to report potholes immediately.

“If councils don’t know about a problem, they can’t fix it.

"The longer a pothole is left the worse it becomes, and when a road requires closing to be fixed that’s when we start to see traffic jams and issues for businesses.

“Most business rely on the road network more than any other type of transport infrastructure – they are vital for regional economies to attract business investment, and therefore jobs and growth.

"We are now starting to see the dividends of investment, but we need more of the same and it has to be sustained for a more resilient network.

"Councils need more cash, and Government must provide it.

“On the back of potentially vast swathes of new taxation generated for authorities in GM by the Clean Air Zone pollution charging scheme, which will come entirely from the pocket of business, I would hope to see much more investment in our roads.

"It’s only fair that money made from roads, should be spent on roads – who can argue with that?

“I would also add that if councils would like to see more of us switching to sustainable transport, like bikes, to reduce the region’s pollution levels, ensuring roads are safe for cyclists and walkers should be a priority.”