Bromley Council has appointed an extra contractor to tackle potholes after receiving a “large number” of reports from residents.

The second contractor has been hired on a temporary basis so that the outstanding potholes in the borough which have built up over the winter can be repaired.

In addition to reports from residents, motorists, cyclists and other road users, the council has said that its team of Highway Inspectors are also examining the condition of the highway on a daily basis.

The number of potholes that need to be repaired has “risen significantly”.

Typically there are 900 to be fixed each month in the months leading up to Christmas.

However, the council has said that at the moment there are around 1,500 jobs to be done each month.

The news follows planned resurfacing work which has been taking place at night in Westmoreland Road, when the entire road surface is also being renewed.

Councillor Nicholas Bennett, Executive Councillor for Transport, Highways and Road Safety said, “We are taking action to resolve the problem we are facing in our Borough, which is much the same elsewhere, not that that is the point.

“I thank residents and motorists and other road users, including cyclists, for their understanding, support and for reporting the potholes via our website.

“If residents come across a new pothole, I would encourage them to report it but to refrain from reporting something where it is already known about.

“Please continue to bear with us, whilst we see the outcome of the additional resources that are being put in.

“There continue to be industry wide shortages of staff to carry out this important work and there are a number of factors which mean this an issue which is complex to completely resolve, which is why we are taking the action we have.

“Whilst we did take the decision to resurface Westmoreland Road, it is noteworthy that funding from TfL has reduced since 2018 for our principal road network where previously funding would have been available for such projects.”

According to Bromley Council, the extreme low temperatures in parts of the winter, combined with torrential downpours have caused major damage on roads nationwide.

Consequently, the numbers of potholes have increased over the winter period, a situation replicated elsewhere across the country, prompting the council to appoint an additional contractor to help tackle the problem.

Bromley Council has said that the winter months are not an ideal time to make highway repairs, with some of the initial temporary repairs proving not to effective.

The appointment of O’Rourke Contracting means that additional crews will be on hand to fix potholes, with the council’s highway team seeking to ensure that repairs are carried out in as an efficient way as possible.

O’Rourke Contracting will be tasked with carrying out repairs on many of the quieter residential roads, with Riney carrying out much of the required work, including on the larger main roads, with the complexities this also brings.