Herald - Issue 389

4th June 2020 • The HERALD • Page 39 v THE HERALD - PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY v Long established family business • MOT TESTING • SERVICE & REPAIR FOR ALL MAKES AND MODELS • CLUTCHES • DIAGNOSTICS • CAMBELTS • SERVICE TO MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATION • FREE COLLECTION & DELIVERY • USED CAR SALES 128-132 Calmore Road, Totton. SO40 8GQ 023 8086 4424 www.calmoreservicestation.co.uk 023 8084 9370 Prospect Place, Hythe SO45 6AU • MOT’ s • MOT R epairs • A ir C on • A uto E lectrics • S ervicing •W elding • D iagnostics • S uspension • T yres • C lutches • C am B elts • B rakes 0800 028 7878 • 07866 041192 Hampshire’s highways teams will soon be out across the county again to deliver a range of work including the resurfacing of roads and footways, and also drainage schemes to make Hampshire’s road network more resilient. Councillor Rob Humby, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment, said: “We are looking to increase the amount of planned highways maintenance carried out now that the supply chain is starting up again, and new processes and procedures are in place to protect the workforce and residents. Now we have confidence that effective social distancing can be achieved, we aim to use this quiet time on the roads to carry out more maintenance work, ready for when businesses and schools open up again. Our commitment to safe working remains, and I want to reassure Hampshire’s residents and business that we will do all we can to ensure the roads are ready for their return.” All highways maintenance work on Hampshire’s roads is carried out in line with the Construction Leadership Council’s Site Operation Procedures, which is based on Public Health England guidance. Cllr Humby added: “Looking after Hampshire’s network of over 5,500 miles of road is one of our top priorities. Our planned maintenance programme, Operation Resilience, is a long-term strategy designed to ensure Hampshire’s road network is more resilient to the impact of heavy traffic and weather. We experienced a very wet and stormy winter earlier this year, which caused additional deterioration to the road surfaces and damage to drainage systems so there’s a significant job to be done to repair this. We estimate the damage will cost in the region of £12-15 million to restore the roads just to the state they were in before the winter.” Hampshire County Council invests an additional £10 million each year inOperation Resilience and. for this nancial year an additional £5 million of investment has also been agreed to ensure more sites can be treated. Some of the rst schemes scheduled to start across Hampshire’s districts over the coming weeks include: New Forest Lyndhurst Road, Brockenhurst: Completion of a footway scheme –in close proximity to many businesses, including pubs, cafes/ restaurants and Brokenhurst College – all of which are currently closed. Salisbury Street, Fordingbridge: A completion of a scheme to improve the footway and minimise disruption to businesses and residents while a full road closure is needed. Works should be completed in around ve weeks. Test Valley Duttons Road, Romsey: Drainage scheme to alleviate surface water on the road and try to prevent ooding. is is in close proximity to businesses so doing the work now will have less future impact on businesses and local tra c. Works to last for around six weeks. Hampshire residents can nd out more about roadworks taking place in Hampshire by Hampshire Highways, as well as work by utility companies, at: www.roadworks.org Hampshire residents are encouraged to report potholes and road defects direct to the County Council at: www.hants.gov.uk/ transport/roadmaintenance/ roadproblems Details of Hampshire County Council’s Operation Resilience planned maintenance programme is available at: www.hants.gov.uk/ transport/roadmaintenance/ plannedmaintenance Road to Recovery – Hampshire County Council Ensures Hampshire’s Roads Are Safe And Maintained During Lockdown News today has revealed that the Department for Transport has ordered councils to repair potholes around the country whilst the roads are relatively empty. Motoring expert at Confused.com Alex Kindred says: “Lockdown gives local councils both the time and space they really need to get our roads up to scratch. Unfortunately, potholes continue to be a serious issue, especially following the damage left by storms at the start of the year. Our scrolling animation shows just how deep the problem goes across the UK – one that cost councils almost £3 million in compensation pay outs for damaged vehicles in just one year. More than a quarter of drivers (28%) told us that they’d had an accident or a near-miss because of potholes. We also found that two in five (40%) drivers have had to fork out more than £100 to repair damage caused by potholes, on average. Knowing who to get in touch with when you come across a pothole can be confusing. But according to our expert report, you should always report any road defects to your local council. Hopefully, with councils taking action while we’re under lockdown, the roads will be in a far better state by the time we’re out and about driving again. But if, when lockdown ends, you spot a pothole, let your council know so that they can keep on top of any damages.” Councils Urged to Fix Potholes While Roads Are Relatively Empty