A Scouthead road plagued by potholes could be due for badly needed repairs.
A section of the blighted surface on Higher Turf Lane deteriorated to become around 12 feet long.
And at approximately seven inches deep at its worst point it gave unsuspecting motorists and cyclists nasty jolts.
The issue was first raised with Oldham Council by Saddleworth Parish Councillor Luke Lancaster last September.
An inspection was finally carried out in January with traffic cones marking the damaged surface.
But Cllr Lancaster hopes the local authority will do more than remedial work.
“Until something is done to solve the problem at source – whether that be better drainage or higher quality surfacing – repairing the road will be akin to painting the Forth Bridge,” he said.
“By the time you’ve filled in those there, another few more will need filling in.
“While some works have been undertaken to fill in the potholes as they arise, the road is regularly subject to heavy volumes of running water, ripping it up in the process.”
A longer-term solution has been previously highlighted by Oldham Borough and Shaw Parish councillor Howard Sykes MBE.
He says tests conducted by JCB with partners Stoke-on-Trent City Council show potholes can be fixed four times quicker and at half the cost with a new machine, the Pothole Pro.
Cllr Sykes said: “Potholes represent a real bugbear for drivers and for cyclists. Not only do they make journeys uncomfortable; they also endanger lives and damage vehicles.
“Fixing potholes is a high priority for many of our council taxpayers and they want to see them fixed effectively and quickly, but at a reasonable cost.
“I believe early results from Stoke show that Pothole Pro could be the fresh solution we are looking for – quicker and cheaper than current solutions. I have asked that it be brought to Oldham.”
But Cllr Sykes’ request looks likely to fall on stony ground.
Cllr Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Culture, said: “While we are always on the lookout for new ways to improve our service, we do already have a strong arsenal of equipment to repair our roads, including our Jet Patcher and mechanical attachments, which when attached to our repair fleet, provide similar benefits to the equipment that has been suggested we invest in.
“The Jet Patcher is tried and tested and has been found to be so successful that we have invested in a second unit.”
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