Safety fears over crumbling Wallasey road surface

Aug 6 2008 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

Residents’ safety fears over crumbling Wallasey road surface

RESIDENTS are being driven pothole-potty by a bumpy road surface.

People living in Broxton Road, Wallasey, say they have been living for nearly a decade with cracked Tarmac and dozens of potholes which are patched up and then crumble again.

Richard Brislen, who moved to the cul-de-sac with his family in 1998, said the road was “down to the cobbles” in some places and it was becoming a safety hazard.

Mr Brislen, 44, said: “When I moved here, I noticed the state of the road straight away. Over the years they’ve been round and sprayed certain parts and one of the holes still has that marking on it.

“Little repairs have been done but there are still big holes and it’s down to the cobbles in some places.

“We’ve made numerous complaints and I feel frustrated that it’s like this considering the time and effort that’s been spent by Wirral Council coming round and spraying these holes.

“It’s dangerous for children who play out in the road and there are quite a lot of elderly people here who are at risk of tripping.

“Do we need to wait for a civil claim to be brought against the council after someone is injured?”

Wallasey councillor Lesley Rennie acknowledged repairs had been made over the years but said the road urgently needed a full re-surfacing.

She told the News: “It’s appalling - we’ve always been concerned that Wallasey doesn’t really get the same amount of highway expenditure as areas like Birkenhead.

“It’s been five to seven years since we first made complaints about this.

“The council has patched and mended some of the potholes but there are now a whole lot of new ones which have appeared.

“It’s one of the worst roads I’ve seen.”

As the News went to press, there was some good news for the long-suffering residents - Wirral Council said Broxton Road had been “identified for resurfacing” and work should start next month.

A spokesman for Wirral Council said: “Broxton Road has previously been identified for resurfacing during this year and is included on the maintenance programme for 2008-9.

“Work is provisionally scheduled to begin in September 2008.”