Tax to help pay for Pothole Repair

The UK's worst winter in 30 years has contributed to a sharp rise in potholes with the number increasing by 60 per cent over the past two years and as a result some residents are now facing a "snow tax" to pay for the additional road repairs.
The trade body for road menders, the Asphalt Industry Alliance,  estimates that with the average cost of repairing potholes was £70 and with a pothole every 120 yards, it would take more than 15 years to fix them all, and the cost to local authorities could be £10 billion.
Some councils have approved council tax rises to pay for the repair bill of more than £1 million a day.
North Yorkshire County Council has imposed an increase of 2.94 per cent – up from an original 2.5 per cent – to fund its maintenance bill, adding almost £5 to an average Band D bill.
"This amounts to a snow tax. Of course the snow has caused problems but the council has £15 million in reserves to deal with unforeseen emergencies like this," said Bill Hoult, the council’s Lib-Dems leader.
Conservative leader John Weighell said it was the lowest increase the council, recently criticised for spending almost £28,000 resurfacing a dead-end farm track, had approved for 16 years.
He called on the Government to approve extra funding for repair work.
It is estimated the number of craters on Britain's 246,000 miles of secondary routes (excluding motorways or A-roads) has risen to more than 1.6 million, with an increase of 700,000 in the past two years alone.
Wet weather combined with freezing conditions destroys tarmac, as ice seeps into the road, expands and the enormous pressure splits the bitumen.
Last year the short cold snap cost local authorities almost £50 million in compensation claims for injury and damage, with an average driver facing a £240 repair bill.
An LGA spokeswoman said the "harshest winter for 30 years has left councils with a massive repair bill at a time when finances are squeezed".
"Potholes are the gaping sores in our road network and councils know how much motorists hate them. They are working flat out to carry as many repairs as possible."
"Councils are doing their best to balance the books without passing costs on to residents but funding available is limited."
Priory Road in Hull, East Yorkshire, was recently named the worst road in Britain after 319 potholes were found over just 400 yards! It was resurfaced last month.

Cheap Professional Quality Pothole Repair Kits

• Pothole Repair Kit 3mm for Black Tarmac
• Pothole Repair Kit 6mm for Black Tarmac
  
• Pothole Repair Kit 6mm for Red Tarmac
  
• Pothole Repair Kit 10mm for Black Tarmac

Can you fix it? Yes you can!

Well you did ask! So you've got a nice looking red tarmac drive... Great! ...but you've got a pothole too? Not so great. ...until now!

We had a conflab with our friends at Ultracrete about these trendy red tarmac drives get rather unsightly potholes, and quite frankly, they were shocked and of course made available not only their finest Ultracrete Instant Road Repair in Red, but a can of Ultracrete SCJ to go with it.

Now problem solved for those owners of the superlative covering of that piece of hard ground that sits in front of your house.

So, all you need is a tub of Ultracrete Instant Road Repair RED Tarmac Pothole Repair Kit (IRR) 6mm grade which comes with Ultracrete SCJ sealer, two components to make a professional pothole repair.

Choose this bundle if you want to repair RED tarmac potholes like the professionals, or maybe you are a professional and just don't want to buy a dozen cans of SCJ!

What can I use it for?

• Red tarmac driveway pothole repair
• Red tarmac drive repair
• Red garden path repair

What can I do with this and get paid?

• Red tarmac footway repair
• Red tarmac cycle track repair
• Red tarmac road repair
• Red tarmac car park repair

Can't be bothered to read the full instructions? Read on...

1. Brush out any debris from the pothole
2. Spray the sides with SCJ
3. Fill in the pothole with Permanent Road Repair
4. Smack down with spade or tamper
5. Ready for immediate use

It really is that simple!

How big are the bits?

• 6mm RED for paths, drive, cycle tracks, pavements, driveways

What size pothole can I fill?

• 1m² at 15mm when compacted.

Croydon believes it has the biggest pothole!

A story we read from the Croydon Your Local Guardian, is that a two metre long, metre wide pothole on Parkway in New Addington, Croydon has seen drivers swerving to avoid the gaping hole or screeching to a halt when confronted by its enormity – quite like the video we posted of a pothole in Russia.

The recent Arctic conditions earlier in January have continued to cause chaos on the roads, with potholes cropping up all over the place, and this is possibly the biggest in the UK.

As we have explained, water freezes below the road it forms into ice, expands and causes cracks that then turn into potholes once the weather warms again.

Croydon local resident Eileen Smith said: "I agree that this road needs completely digging out and to be repaired to a proper standard."

"I really do not feel that throwing a couple of shovels of gravel into these holes is the answer."

"Everybody who owns a car pays road tax and therefore the roads should be maintained to a good standard."

Special Tarmac Pothole Repair link for Croydon Council

Fill your boots ...I mean potholes!

Let us know if you see a bigger pothole.

How the Pros fix potholes in roads, drives and paths

You can easily do a DIY pothole repair using Permanent Pothole Repair PRR or Instant Road Repair IRR, but now, with a little bit more money, you can get a Pro pothole repair.

Here's how...

Choose a Pothole Repair Kit – we've added the secret ingredient, Ultracrete SCJ with it. It's a sealer which goes around the edge of the pothole to get the extra durable finish.

1. Pothole Repair Kit 3mm
2. Pothole Repair Kit 6mm
3. Pothole Repair Kit 6mm RED
4. Pothole Repair Kit 10mm

These kits are very good value when you look at the individual costs of the items.

Now, here's the step-by-step as shown in the picture above.

Step 1

Saw cut repair.

Step 2

Seal edges using Ultracrete SCJ.

Step 3

Apply the Instant Road Repair or Permanent Road Repair using the layer on layer technique.

Step 4

Compact layers.

Get fixing those potholes!

Everything you need for a professional pothole repair

We've listened to your feedback, and apparently some of you don't want to buy a full box of 12 Ultracrete SCJ Sealer to repair one pothole and want to buy just one with your Tarmac Repair Instant Road Repair.

Fair enough we say!

We've had a Pow-wow with our friends at Ultracrete and together we have now come up with four fantastic pothole repair bundles, so you can get a really professional pothole repair with spending a fortune.

Here they are...

Pothole Repair Kits

1. Pothole Repair Kit 3mm
2. Pothole Repair Kit 6mm
3. Pothole Repair Kit 6mm RED
4. Pothole Repair Kit 10mm

Now, let's get this straight: SCJ is what the professionals use to line the edges of the pothole prior to filling with Instant Road Repair IRR or Permanent Pothole Repair PRR.

So, using Ultracrete SCJ Bitumen Cold Joint Sealer gives you a more durable finish if that's what you require.

It will do a real lasting job whether you're getting paid to do the job or not!