Fears £10m funding for highways will not reach Skegness' crumbling roads

Coun Adrian Findley said he wondered what was happening when he turned into Scarbrough Avenue from Roman Bank.

"There were such thuds and bangs and I had no option but to stop my van and have a look," he said.

"I couldn't believe what I saw - the problem is of a massive scale. That stretch of Scarbrough Avenue up to St Matthew's Church has 59 extremely dangerous potholes that could cause a serious accident or worse.

"There is debris everywhere that could cause a car to skid and crash or flick up onto another car or even a pedestrian.

"In one particular area there are 11 different patches where the potholes have been filled - but more holes are now forming around the patches.

"My main concern is that if this road is not replaced then it will continue to swallow up taxpayers money with patches and cause a serious accident.

"What I find hard to understand is why didn't Lincolnshire Highways resurface this stretch of Scarbrough Avenue when they did the other end two years ago.

"It is now beyond repair and needs resurfacing.

"Skegness is supposed to be a tourist attraction but our visitors are expected to go down a dirt track to get to their hotels."

One of potholes photographed by Coun Findley when he was preparing, as a resident, to submit a report to Lincolnshire County Council had costly implications for a motorist. Tammy Prescott recalled: "This is the one that burst my tyre a few weeks ago and the one on the left heading up to the church - the really deep one - snapped my suspension.

"I always avoid them when I finish work but it was dark and I didn't see them.

"I totally agree .they are so deep a cyclist could be seriously injured and more cars damaged - it's ridiculous."

And, according to readers, the problem isn't just in Skegness. Karen Holland - who became known as Bugsy, he Pothole Picasso, in January last year when she set out to paint potholes to highlight them - agreed people all over the area are becoming fed up again about the number of potholes appearing on the road.

"I've been down Old Market Avenue in Spilsby - it's a mess again," she said.

"I've been on Steeping aerodrome and painted and also just before you get into Firsby.

"Everyone is getting sick of them again.

"Roads are like a patchwork quilt. LCC's new contractors said things where going to get better but it's not happening."

In May last year, when the Standard last reported the pothole problem was growing in spite of being in lockdown, LCC told us the £12m that had been injected into the highways budget was nowhere near what was needed to bring roads up to standard, but the authority would carry on campaigning for fairer government funding.

Last week, the Standard reported Lincolnshire County Council planned to spend a further £10 million on the “core network” of roads which were the “lifeline of our communities” as part of a wider investment to support businesses through the pandemic.

Coun Findley said it remained to be seen how much of this funding would find its way to the Skegness area. "When you go around Lincoln there is new tarmac and footpaths everywhere," he said.

"We have been waiting four years for our roads to be repaired and now, just before the county council elections, there is an announcement about more funding for roads.

"How much longer must we wait?"

The Standard spoke to Lincolnshire County County about the concerns and we are able to bring some good news. Coun Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "Works are already scheduled for this week to repair a number of potholes on Scarbrough Avenue, and we will be resurfacing part of the road later this year.

"The very wet and then very cold weather we have had will cause potholes to form more quickly on the roads. Please keep letting us know about them through FixMyStreet and we can get them repaired.

"The council hates potholes just as much as drivers do, and every month we fix thousands of them on our network, as well as redressing and resurfacing roads to stop them forming in the first place."

To report a pothole, visit https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/faults-maintenance/report-pothole.