Growing concern over 'worsening state' of B4009 potholes

Drivers are becoming increasingly frustrated with the worsening state of potholes on West Berkshire's rural roads in recent weeks.

West Berkshire Council says it has fixed more than 800 potholes since Christmas 2022.

But concerns for public safety and vehicle damage caused by potholes continue in certain areas — one particular hotspot being the B4009 between Newbury and Hampstead Norreys.

Local resident George Greenham contacted newburytoday, saying: "Since early February, these potholes have caused serious damage to a number of local residents' vehicles and yet the worsening potholes have still not been repaired."

The council's 'Report a Pothole' function registers at least four potholes on the B4009 between Hermitage and Hampstead Norreys.

But some residents say there are more going unrecorded and are calling for the entire stretch of road to be re-surfaced.

Mr Greenham added: "There are so many that it would be impractical, in fact dangerous, for any member of the public to log their precise locations, as to do so would mean stopping every few yards to measure and locate each and every one on what is a busy road with fast moving traffic."

The district is to receive a £950,000 Government cash handout for pothole repairs in the spring statement. The council has also committed an additional £7m to highway maintenance over the next three years.

Councillor Carolyne Culver (Green, Ridgeway) said: "The potholes near Eling, between Hampstead Norreys and Hermitage, are probably the worst I have seen in the ward.

"My understanding is that on Friday [March 31] some of them were patched, but not all of them.

"From what I've seen so far, they [West Berkshire Council] are doing patches. There was a big pothole in the centre of East Ilsley where they came and they did a patch job.

"I asked when they were going to come back and complete it, and I haven't heard anything back from them."

Speaking about the B4009, Ms Culver added: "I've had loads of complaints about those. Some people have said they've had tyre blowouts.

"It begs the question of at what point is it cheaper to fix the road properly rather than paying out loads of compensation."

Ms Culver also explained some potholes between Hampstead Norreys and Yattendon have been patched, and potholes between Hampstead Norreys and Eling, repaired about a year ago, remain in good condition.

"I drove past Eling on Monday evening [April 3] and the potholes have all been patched from what I could see. It's not a safe road to stop on and scrutinize in detail. No lay-bys or verges," she added.

"The more people that complain the better, because then they [the council] know it's a problem."

Please visit https://westberks.gov.uk/reportapothole to report the location of a pothole.