88 per cent of road repairs sub-standard

Substandard 'repair' of a pothole

Tests have revealed that 88 per cent of road repairs in Rochdale Borough are sub-standard.

500 core samples from patches of road across the borough dug up to fix water, electrical or cable faults by utility companies, are being taken to check the materials and patching to repair the road is quality assured. The samples are sent off to the lab for strength testing, durability and material identification.

Test results so far have returned an 88 per cent failure rate on the 267 core samples taken to date. Poor patching can lead to increased potholing.

The council is invoicing those companies responsible to recover the cost of the checks and meeting with them to reiterate how important it is that quality repairs are carried out on the borough’s highways.