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15
Feb 2021
Harrogate garages see increase in pothole repairs despite lockdown
Garages in Harrogate have said they are experiencing a rise in demand for pothole-related repairs despite the national coronavirus lockdown.
It comes as the government announced today £51 million in funding to repair roads in the Yorkshire and Humber region over the next year.
This is the second instalment of a national £2.5 billion "potholes fund", which Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed in last year's Budget.
However, it seems there are plenty of holes for North Yorkshire County Council to fill locally.
The council currently has 781 potholes on its reporting system for Harrogate, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge. Ripon and Masham have 175.
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While not all the reports require action from the council, those numbers can be a good indicator of the demand it is currently facing.
The recent cold weather has also caused more potholes. When water enters the road and freezes, it expands and creates holes in the surface. Traffic then exacerbates the problem.
Harrogate's garages then deal with the consequences of damage caused by vehicles driving over potholes.
Finlay Bunce, the manager at Universal Tyres Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret that it recently repaired 10 cars on one day due to potholes:
Sam Burton, manager of Just Tyres in Harrogate, said it had seen a 15% increase in pothole repairs since early January when the country went into lockdown. He said:
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