THE equivalent of 19 Olympic-sized swimming pools of tarmac have been used on the county’s roads since April, according to Gloucestershire Highways.

The county council has released what it says are some “compelling” statistics about recent road repairs in response to claims that Highways are not doing enough to address problems.

It says that despite the cold weather in December, work has stayed “on track” and that £100 million of investment in the network, which was announced in the last budget, “is really starting to pay off”.

Highways says 98,000 tonnes of tarmac have been used on the county’s roads since last April.

In December, 85 gritting runs were completed ensuring major roads were safe and kept clear from snow and ice.

Some 109,000 gullies were cleared, which it says helps “enormously” with flood prevention, and 124 roads have been resurfaced, with all projects starting on time and less than 6 per cent running over, some of which were impacted by the cold weather in December.

The figures are based on works carried out between April and December 2022.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Highways said: “Inevitably this time of year with our cold and wet weather there will always be an increase in potholes, but we will continue to work hard to keep up with this as well as our winter activities.”

Cllr Dom Morris, cabinet member for highways and flooding at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “We completely understand that if you see a problem in your local area, it’s easy to think that we’re not doing enough to fix the problems on our highways.

“That said these are compelling statistics and I hope help to demonstrate that we are working hard to improve the county’s roads, keeping them safe, clear and protecting against flooding.

“Our priority is to deal with the most dangerous safety issues first, as you would expect. It’s not going to be perfect, but we’re doing as much as we can and we have heard residents when they say they want to see improvements particularly on potholes.

“We’re so grateful to the public for reporting problems and we encourage you to continue.”

Residents and communities are encouraged to report any issues with roads at /www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/highways/roads/your-highways-report-it.

Emergency issues can be reported by calling 08000 514 514.