Dangerous potholes that cause vehicle damage are a major issue in Southampton, according to a local union rep. 

Ali Haydor has called on the city council to fix roads in urgent need of repair. 

The GMB rep for taxi and private hire vehicles wants the local authority to prioritise the issue over slashing emissions. 

The backlog to repair potholes in England is at a record high according to the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), as 500 potholes are filled in the South East each day.

Ali said: “Potholes are a major issue in Southampton.

“Many roads have multiple potholes and in some cases, they’re deep and dangerous.

“Taxi and private hire drivers see them all the time and, in some cases, it damages their vehicles.

“The council is trying to tackle the emission issue in the city with one of the campaigns encouraging the public to use e-scooters and bikes, yet the potholes in the road make this more dangerous for users.

“The council should prioritise this and get these dangerous potholes fixed urgently instead of just marking round them and leaving them for weeks before any repairs are carried out.

“Making the road safer is important.”

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In 2021, Southampton City Council set aside £830,000 for pothole repair to mend roads across the city, however, many are cracked and damaged.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “We have put major investment into our roads and pavements maintenance and resurfacing programme over the past few years and we are making good progress.

“Our ongoing commitment to investing in our roads was set out in the February 2023 budget.

“There is recognised to be a national pothole repair need, hence the recent Government’s Budget setting of an extra £200m nationally for 23/24, that Southampton City Council is due to receive an approx. £378k share of this.”

Speaking on the issue, the Tory MP for Southampton Itchen, Royston Smith said: “The Labour council have never prioritised road repairs.

“They have an anti-motorist strategy.

“MPs have had to lobby Government to get additional funding, ring-fenced for potholes.

“Just last week, in the budget, Government awarded Southampton £378,400 which will go some way to help fix the backlog.”