Sheffield's most potholed street branded 'a danger' and 11-month wait for repairs by Amey 'unacceptable'

Greystones Road was scheduled for resurfacing in January 2023 - but has now been pushed back to Easter, eleven months after the problem was reported, according to councillor Barbara Masters. Roads firm Amey only repairs ‘hazardous’ potholes and ignores others - which is ‘unacceptable’, she says.

And an improvement plan imposed on the contractor by Sheffield City Council lacks transparency because the number and timing of repairs is unknown.

Coun Masters said: “Greystones Road is in an appalling condition. The potholes and ruts never reduce, just shift locations. They are impossible to avoid and damage cars and bikes. The loose grit is slippery for walkers and cyclists and fills the gutters, increasing the risk of flooding. I’m really dismayed resurfacing is delayed yet again.

“People are told Amey failed to meet contract requirements and expect improvements but no one knows how many roads need to be fixed or when it will happen. There is no transparency in the performance review.”

A Sheffield City Council spokesman said Amey was putting more resources into surfacing. Hazardous potholes were repaired in 24 hours. But teams could not fix any others ‘as this would delay their attendance to the other hazardous potholes on their schedule’.

Greystones Road would be resurfaced in the Easter holidays to minimise disruption to residents, bus services and schools, she added.

“As explained in the performance review report, the quality of our road surfaces in Sheffield still compares very well nationally. Each year the Department for Transport gathers survey results from Local Authorities and Sheffield is in the top 20 in the country for the condition of our principal roads,” she said.

“The performance report to the Waste and Street Scene Committee in December highlighted areas of performance challenges with Amey and includes an improvement plan to ensure it meets the standards and timeframes required in the Streets Ahead contract. The report does not recommend ending the contract.”

Amey started a £2bn 25-year contract to renew every road and banish Sheffield’s ‘Pothole City’ reputation in 2012. Greystones Road was first resurfaced in 2014. Across the city a growing number of residents say new surfaces are already crumbling.