CHESHIRE East Council is urging Knutsford’s residents to report any potholes which may have appeared in the roads following the recent cold spell.

The authority say the recent severe weather conditions have left roads exposed to ‘freeze-thaw’ damage.

This happens when water seeps into cracks in the road and is frozen.

It then expands, causing the surface of the road to break up and in some cases cause potholes to form.

Residents are asked to report any defects on roads, pavements or footways to the authority so they can be repaired as soon as possible.

And the council says it is using new technology to make sure the holes remain filled – an infra-red heat source, with additional materials, is added to the pothole and compacted to provide a joint-free permanent patch.

In anticipation of an increase in reports of potholes following the severe weather, five additional crews have been assigned to deal with repairs.

At Knutsford Town Council’s latest meeting on Monday, Clr Neil Forbes said that the council was mending holes in the road if it was told about them.

“If people report them then they are being mended,” he added.

“We can’t hope they go around patrolling all the roads, what we have to do is to report them.”

Clr Wesley Fitzgerald, leader of Cheshire East, said: “Wet weather conditions, combined with the freezing temperatures, destroys tarmac very quickly. The recent severe weather has resulted in the increased rate of deterioration of road surfaces.

“The council is working hard to keep drivers safer by fixing the holes as quickly as possible.

“However, some ground is now waterlogged meaning repairs in these areas will not be possible at the current time.

“Temporary solutions will be used, where necessary, until the weather improves.”

Gary Mallin, Cheshire East Council’s highway asset manager, said: “This severe weather period, which has lasted for almost four weeks, has inevitably had an effect on the road surface.

“We are already seeing an increase in the number and size of potholes from what we would expect over a normal winter period.

“We are encouraging residents to report potholes and other damage caused by the weather so that we can give our urgent attention to them.

“In the meantime I would urge people to drive carefully on stretches of road where they know potholes have developed until we can get our resources out there to fix them.”

If you have a pothole to report call the council on 0300 123 5500 or the highways department on 0845 002 066, or alternatively log on to cheshireeast.gov.uk and follow the link to report a pot hole.