SEEN a new pothole on a street in Bournemouth?

Even if you report it straight away, the chances are you'll still be seeing it a few days later.

That's because Bournemouth council is one of the slowest local authorities in the country when it comes to dealing with the problem.

The town is in the bottom four across the UK for filling potholes, with an average time of 36 hours.

It comes behind Coventry, with an average time of five days, Leicestershire, where officials take 72 hours, and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, where the usual time is around 48 hours.

However, officials have urged anyone who spots a pothole to report it so they can get it sorted.

Stuart Best, street services manager for the council, said: “As the highway authority, Bournemouth Borough Council has statutory obligations to maintain highway safety standards.

"Routine safety inspections are carried out to ensure that all defects which present an immediate and/or imminent hazard to users of the public highway are identified and repaired or made safe as soon as is reasonably practical.

"In addition to this ad-hoc inspections are carried out in response to public enquiries and requests which may also result in the identification and repair of highway defects.

"Highway inspections are undertaken at various intervals within the borough at a frequency of between one and twelve times per year, dependent upon the classification of the route in question.

"These inspections are undertaken in accordance with the guidance laid down in the Well Managed Highways code of practice and the Bournemouth Borough Council Code of Practice for Highway Inspection.

"Any highway defect can be reported via the council’s webpage or by phoning 01202 451199."

  • We're asking for our readers, wherever in Dorset you happen to live, to send us photos of the worst potholes in their area (if it's safe to take the picture!) to newsdesk@bournemouthecho.co.uk and we'll run the best photos online.