COUNCIL bosses have admitted they will never fix all of Lancashire’s crumbling roads and pavements because it would cost £153million.

The huge backlog, which works out at more than £100 for every person living in the county, has been built up over many years And motoring experts said the recent icy weather will have made the condition of the road surfaces even worse.

Council bosses insisted dangerous roads were fixed immediately, but admit they have no chance of bridging the funding gap, blamed on a lack of government investment.

A decade ago ministers pledged to “eliminate the maintenance backlog for local roads” by 2010 as part of a £30billion programme.

But today Lancashire County Council is still £140million adrift, while Blackburn with Darwen council is facing a £13million shortfall. The figures, obtained on an annual basis by high-tech surveys of thousands of miles of road network, represent more than three times the councils’ annual highways budgets.

Paul Watters, head of roads and traffic for the AA, said council budgets were being spent on what he called “firefighting”, urgent repairs, rather than much-needed maintenance, and drivers were paying the price.

He said: “It is window dressing filling potholes. This is a bad thing, because it’s like putting Pollyfilla in a rotten window rather than replacing it.”

Peter Roberts, of campaign group the Drivers’ Alliance, said: “There is clearly a significant problem with road maintenance because of a lack of investment.

“As a result, the costs transfer to the motorists, who pay to repair suspensions, and fix wheels and tyres.”

The repairs, which range from large potholes to minor maintenance, are graded red, amber and green, depending on how serious they are.

Bosses in Lancashire insist the backlog is comparable to other local authorities.

Both the Conservatives and previous Labour administration at Lancashire County Council have increased highways funding in recent years, bringing the annual budget to around £40million. Blackburn with Darwen’s is around £7million.

Planned road repairs are covered under the council’s highways capital programme, funded by the government.

But town halls are only given on average 57 per cent of the cash they bid for, leaving council tax-payers to fund the rest, as well as urgent repairs that are needed like dangerous potholes.

According to the AA, the average road is only resurfaced every 79 years.

In Blackburn and Darwen, the £13million shortfall represents four per cent of A roads, 10 per cent of B roads, and 13 per cent of other, non-classified roads.

Peter Hunt, environment head at Blackburn with Darwen council, insisted the road network had “improved substantially” in recent years.

He said: “If we had a wish list and asked for money to get the road network up to the level we want it to be, it would cost us £13million.

“However, we are keeping up with keeping the highways safe. This is not about dangerous roads.”

Mr Watters said there was “no chance” of ministers meeting their pledge to reverse the decline in roads this year.

Rick Hayton, County Hall’s assistant highways director, said: “The highway can be in need of structural attention without having any immediate safety implications.

“The backlog can be expressed as the difference between the current state of Lancashire’s roads, and the situation if they were all brand new.

“All roads have a finite life if left unmaintained, and the condition deteriorates over time due to the effects of traffic, weather etc.”

The worst sites

WITH bosses facing a multi-million pound backlog in road repairs in Lancashire, we asked the Institute of Advanced Motorists to suggest some areas in need of attention.

Here are the worst offenders according to East Lancashire branch spokesman Allan Whipp:

  • The A681 Rawtenstall to Bacup road: “There is a patchy 4.5 mile stretch with sizeable pot holes which can damage suspensions, and if left alone they will get worse”
  • The A682 through Barrowford: “They have introduced a cycle lane to slow the traffic down, but there are patchy areas where contractors have been in the past.”
  • Union Road, Oswaldtwistle: “The surface is breaking up. There has been an awful lot of work there.”
  • Preston Old Road, Blackburn: “One of our members said the quality is very poor in parts.”
  • Stopes Brow, Blackburn: “The road surface has been damaged.”