SOMEONE could break their leg if a town’s deep potholes aren’t addressed as a priority.

That is the concern of Buckley Councillors David and Carol Ellis, who have heard numerous complaints from residents about the state of the town’s roads. Temporary repair materials in a number of the holes have come out and have been left scattered across the roads and pavements.

The potholes themselves present serious safety risks for all road users and pedestrians, councillors have warned.

Cllr David Ellis, mayor of Buckley, said: “I have been receiving a lot of complaints since the bad weather has been with us - there’s a number of issues people are worried about. There’s some really deep potholes and if someone was to put their foot in there while they’re walking over the road they could break their ankle. The temporary materials used to fix these are not lasting. These issues are being put forward to Flintshire Council by Buckley Town Council and they are not being addressed. The primary roads should be the priority and then the B roads need prioritising for public safety.”

Cllr Carol Ellis said she is constantly complaining to Flintshire Council - which she said are worst in Mold Road, Miurfield Road, Alltami Road, Mill Lane and Liverpool Road. She added: “Before Christmas I was told they would get repaired, but some did and some didn’t.

“I was told the worst ones had been done but I totally disagreed. There are some really bad ones. The dangers are that people are swerving to avoid the potholes because you could get a puncture or your suspension could be damaged. They swerve to avoid them and a car could be coming from the opposite direction. And for someone on foot crossing over, especially at night when you can’t see, someone could break their leg or ankle. It’s also a concern for people with prams and cyclists – it’s really bad. Where the roads have been repaired, it’s like a patchwork quilt. There’s so many areas where the whole surface need renewing because it is crumbling away everywhere you look. I am aware that resources are tight but I think there should be a review of all the roads in the Buckley area regarding the potholes.”

Steve Jones, Chief Officer Streetscene and Transportation said:“During winter months potholes will always form on the highway network and the service would encourage people to bring our attention to such defects during periods of bad weather, through the Streetscene Contact Centre (01352 701234). Streetscene Coordinators inspect the entire highway network on a routine basis and will rectify defects reported and identified through theses inspections, following a risk assessment process. This process balances safety issues with the availability of resources and the weather conditions, to undertake both temporary and permanent reinstatements. Because of the weather conditions encountered during the winter months, it is not always possible, nor advisable to carry out a costly permanent repair and a temporary reinstatement is used in some circumstances to remove the hazard, before more permanent works can be programmed for the location. The permanent repairs are programmed for this area of Buckley later this week.”