EXTRA cash will be spent repairing Middlesbrough’s beleaguered roads this year – months on from a “pothole purge” across the town. 

More than 26,000 holes were fixed by council teams during a bid to fill a mass of problems across the town over 20 weeks last year. 

But troubled roads have been questioned during Middlesbrough Council meetings as winter has hit the town’s routes hard. 

Last week, Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston unveiled an extra £750,000 would go towards fixing pock marked roads from April – something he said was “over and above the normal budget”. 

Mr Preston said: “Everyone’s fed up with the potholes on our roads.  

“Because of this people are frustrated with me and the council. 

“We do need to improve the situation – even though we have recently spent far more time and money on Middlesbrough’s potholes than ever before.

He added: “Winter is the worst time of year for potholes, the mixture of ice and rain causes existing repairs to come undone and new ones to emerge.  

“Right now this is happening in a massive way in every town.

“But we are fighting hard to make sure our roads are as good as they can be.”

Many main roads and A-roads weren’t covered by the purge which the leader said would require resurfacing next year. 

Council teams are focussing on slip roads and approaches to the A66 in coming weekends. 

However, there have been complaints about some roads “looking like the Himalayas” this winter. 

The pothole purge saw wards tackled in alphabetical order last year with a new plan set to be launched in April. 

Conservative group leader Cllr David Coupe welcomed the extra cash – but repeated his concerns about Stainton Way “looking like the surface of the moon”. 

The member for Stainton and Thornton said: “It’s still very bad and you can find them elsewhere in my ward.

“The extra money will be great but I just hope they go the other way now because it takes so long to do otherwise. 

“It’s good – but it’s not perfect.”

Cllr Jim Platt, leader of the Middlesbrough Independent Councillors’ Association (MICA), believed council staff had done a good job during the purge – after raising worries about Acklam Road in the past. 

“There were a lot of holes and they filled a lot,” he added.

“There is obviously a lot more to be done but it’s welcome they’re putting more money towards it to get the job finished.”

“Get a grip”

The town-wide blitz saw more than 1,400 tonnes of asphalt laid across the borough. 

Labour group leader Cllr Matt Storey welcomed the extra funding and hoped it made a difference.

However, he wanted to see leaders “get a real grip” on the state of roads and “tone down the self praise”. 

Cllr Storey said: “So far, we have heard a lot of backslapping and self congratulation from the mayor and his deputy but I know from my ward and driving around the town that potholes remain a major problem.

He added: “The pothole purge has so far not lived up to the hype.”

The council received £1.1m from the Department for Transport’s “pothole fund” this year. 

Deputy mayor Cllr Antony High hit back at Cllr Storey – saying the council was trying to fix “years of Labour neglect” on roads and in the town.  

He added: “In 2020, we launched the first step to improving the towns roads with over 25,000 defects filled thousands of metres of road relaid – and the most Tarmac ever laid in a single year in the history of the town.

“We still have a lot to do due to the disgraceful condition in which they have been left.”

Meanwhile, Cllr High said teams would keep working to fix the problems.

He added: “Recent bad weather has created a lot of issues – but be assured, once it clears the council will be ready to go again.”

Leaders were set to meet on Tuesday afternoon to agree the budget and medium term financial plan ahead of a vote by all councillors later this month.