A SENIOR councillor has said he is getting frustrated at the ongoing problem with the escalating problem of potholes in Wellington.

Cllr Andrew Govier told members of Wellington Town Council on Monday (April 13) that it was taking far too long to fill-in the potholes.

“I’m concerned about the potholes and the lengths of time that they are being left,” he said.

Cllr Govier, who is a member of Somerset Council, said he initially understood the problems the highways department at County Hall were facing with a huge backlog of potholes that were being reported across the region.

“I was a big defender of the highways department back in the early days because I knew of the problems they had with the terrible weather during winter,” he said. “But we are now into April and this seems to be dragging on.”

Potholes which have been identified by Somerset Council and marked for repair have to be sorted out within a 28-day period.

But Cllr Govier said: “The potholes are getting worse and they are getting bigger. There are some significant potholes in Wellington which have gone beyond the 28 days.”

Cllr Govier told councillors that there was a big pothole outside the Cottage Inn in Champford Lane which needed to be repaired.

And he quipped: “And before anyone asks – no! I have not fallen into that pothole when I’ve come out of the pub!”

Somerset Council leader, Cllr Bill Revans, recently said: “We know the public want us to do much more than simply keep our roads safe and we want to see improvements across our council area.

“We will continue to prioritise pothole repairs and are working hard to clear the backlog caused by the many weeks of wet weather and flooding we have experienced this winter.”