A POTHOLE scourge causing headaches for motorists and pedestrians alike is to be examined in a new probe.

A snowy winter has seen road surfaces suffer across Teesside.

And concern about numbers not being repaired has seen former policeman-turned-councillor Ken Dixon call for action in an upcoming investigation. 

The member for Ingleby Barwick West saw his review to take a closer look at pothole problems in the borough accepted at the latest executive scrutiny committee. 

His plea for action pointed to the “increasing number” not being fixed and holes getting deeper. 

And he wanted assurances that problems were being dealt with.

Cllr Dixon said: “The old ones start to reappear and new ones appear.

“Some of the old ones get deeper if they haven’t been looked at.

“It’s a worry because pedestrians can trip up over them and they harm cars. 

“They do form a road danger and a hazard.”

Stockton Council is responsible for the maintenance of all authority adopted roads, footpaths, cycle paths and street lights in the borough. 

Its teams respond to calls and judge if repair work is needed.

A target of 28 days is set for repair work with problems posing an “immediate risk” tackled within a 24 hour time limit. 

The Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) was given £5.2m by the Government earlier this year to help deal with potholes across the region’s five council areas. 

The member for Ingleby Barwick West had originally tried to launch the pothole probe last year.

He said the system at the moment was “a bit fragmented” – something he put down to covid demands. 

“They do tend to get to the major ones but it’s just a matter of when they do it as they need good weather,” added Cllr Dixon. 

“If you look at other council areas, they’re trying different things.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council signed a deal with JCB this year after trialling its “PotholePro” machine which can repair up to 40 defects a day.

Patching machines and different materials used to fill holes in parts of Scandinavia were in the sights of Cllr Dixon as possibilities to examine. 

“They are in a cleft situation – they fill one hole and another one comes along,” he added.

“Overall, they do respond to the deep and dangerous ones we point out – and they do attend as quickly as possible.

“But again it’s manpower and equipment. I realise they’re stretched.”

A pothole “purge” saw problems tackled ward by ward in neighbouring Middlesbrough last year as part of a push to improve surfaces.

But the scheme, which fixed more than 26,000 holes, came in for some criticism for not covering all blemishes – with one councillor saying some roads still looked like the surface of the moon. 

Chiefs are spending an extra £750,000 on pock marked roads in the town this financial year.

A council scoring system saw the potholes probe in Stockton rate joint top with child poverty in the borough in a list of future reviews.

Councillors are expected to begin a select committee probe in the coming months.