A DARLINGTON councillor is calling on the local authority to do more to tackle town’s pothole problem.

Following a number of complaints from angry residents, Conservative councillor Bill Stenson is calling on the borough council to do more to fix the number of potholes blighting the town’s roads.

Coun Stenson says he has had dozens of complaints from residents in both the Mowden ward he represents, and from town centre shoppers calling into his Duke Street office.

As a result, he has written to the authority’s highways department to see if more can be done to tackle the problem.

“I think we have got the worst potholes in the country and they are getting worse – it is disgraceful,” he said.

“In my ward people are complaining to me saying they have got broken springs in their cars from going over potholes.

“It worries me the damage that is being done to people’s cars. I spoke to one man whose car had two broken springs from potholes and others that have had their exhausts drop off.

“I understand the council is trying to do something about them, but they are not doing it quickly enough.

“When people are complaining about them you have got to do something about it.”

Figures from the council state the authority filled 1,252 potholes in April, with an average of 6,000 filled in every year, which rises to more than 8,000 when winters are bad.

A council spokesperson said the authority meets, and in some cases, exceeds national guidelines on the number of times it inspects roads in the borough.

They said: “Most rural roads and all main roads in the borough are inspected monthly and other roads are inspected every three months. In many rural locations the pothole is inspected and repaired on the same day.

“Our officers have met with Councillor Stenson today (Monday, May 13) to discuss these issues.

“We are aware that potholes are an emotive subject for road users.

“In light of this we have developed dedicated pages on our website. These detail how to report a pothole, how many are repaired each month and other information based on frequently asked questions.”

For more information on potholes and how to report one, visit darlington.gov.uk/Transport/Highways