SUFFOLK: The staggering extent of damage caused by potholes in Ipswich and the surrounding area can today be revealed.

Council chiefs estimate that the cost of filling in the craters which opened up over the winter months equates to a year’s worth of maintenance – around �20million.

This figure includes potholes themselves and damage caused as a result of them, such as cracks in kerbs and pavements.

The council’s budget for repairing potholes can’t extend to that amount meaning that some roads could remain uneven for some time.

Guy McGregor, county councillor with responsibility for roads and transport, said: “The problem we have is that the underlying damage caused over the hard winter equates to a full year’s maintenance costs to repair.

“That’s around �20m, which is way above our budget, so it’s a case of repairing as many holes as finances allow.”

Last year the council’s highways teams were able to repair more potholes than in previous years after being given a grant of �1.95m from central government.

Mr McGregor added: “As a consequence we were able to do a very good job in sorting out the potholes in Suffolk last year.

“We may not have the same amount this time around but, as I’ve said before, where significant potholes are identified by our highways officers or they are reported to us, we will repair them as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, our Spot the Pot campaign is reaching its final stages but we’re still keen to hear from pothole spotters. We’ve compiled a dossier to hand to council chiefs at the end of this month. The latest potholes to be added to the list include London Road, Robin Drive, Scrivener Drive and Hadleigh Road.

n If you spot a pothole on your travels around town, give us a call or send us an e-mail to tell us where the hole is located – if possible with a postcode. Or send us your own pictures. Call our newsdesk on 01473 324788 or you can send an e-mail to starnews@eveningstar.co.uk.

n Potholes can be reported to Suffolk County Council on 0845 6066171.