Essex Highways Repaves Turner Road Over 5 Nights as 8-Week Pothole Patch Failed
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 10
Essex Highways Repaves Turner Road Over 5 Nights as 8-Week Pothole Patch Failed
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 10
Summary
Five nights of machine patching at the end of April resurfaced long stretches of Turner Road in Colchester after the BBC queried Essex County Council and contractor Ringway Jacobs about recurring potholes.
A 1 sq m, 10cm-deep repair installed on 21 February 2025 had already begun wearing within eight weeks, and by nine months a new pothole had opened beside it.
Essex Highways said the new work used planing, binder and fresh asphalt, with a full surface treatment planned to protect the road for 7 to 10 years.
FOI logs show the Turner Road defect was first reported in September 2024; local Liberal Democrat councillor David King said potholes are residents' top complaint and the earlier repair did not deliver value for money.
The case reflects a wider England problem: councils reported fixing 1.84 million potholes in 2024-25, up 25% from 2020-21, while ministers this week tied £7.3 billion of road funding to proof that councils are avoiding repeat repairs.