Three extra pothole repair crews have rolled out across Essex, including Canvey Island, as part of a £7.5 million push to fix the county’s most troublesome road defects. Essex Highways confirmed the additional teams started work the week of 23 June, bringing the total number of crews to 12 and giving every district its own dedicated squad.
The expansion follows the declaration of a pothole emergency by the new Leader of Essex County Council, Councillor Peter Harris, at the council’s annual meeting on 28 May. He said at the time there was no doubt from conversations with residents that the condition of roads and pavements was absolutely their top issue. Councillor Mark Webster, Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure, added that increasing crews from nine to 12 means every district now has its own team, improving the ability to fill more potholes in more areas.
The £7.5 million investment will also see repairs carried out on potholes previously classed as non-urgent, meaning defects not previously classified as dangerous will now be tackled alongside the council’s annual resurfacing programmes already underway. The county maintains a 5,000-mile road network, and the extra teams are using a wider range of specialised machinery to match the right tool to each job so defects can be fixed faster than before.
In Canvey Island, footway repairs began on 8 June on Linden Way, Little Gypps Road, and Willow Close as pre-treatment ahead of future slurry sealing. That work follows the resurfacing of a cracked and uneven section of Long Road at a busy junction in May, a project supported by local councillor Peter May that saw yellow lines relined to improve safety and traffic flow.
All repair works are being carried out during daytime hours, and drivers are advised to allow extra time for journeys while crews are on site.
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