It has been a generally mild winter, but there has still been damage to road surfaces around the town.  When a hole in the road surface reaches 30cm (some people say 15cm) long by 4cm deep it is a ‘pothole’ and needs reporting.
If the County Council does not know about a pothole, it is not liable for any damage it causes.  As soon as the County Council is made aware of the location of a pothole, however, it becomes liable, unless it has put that pothole on a schedule for repair.  Repair-time for potholes is variable, and determined by the risk posed, taking into account ‘lots of factors including traffic flows and the position of the pothole relative to the normal track taken’.  But all reported potholes must be investigated and scheduled for repair.
Readers of the Newton News can therefore make our town a pothole-free zone.  Whether you are a walker, cyclist or motorist, if you spot a pothole which is of a reportable size, report it to the County Council’s Highways Action Line: by phone on 0191 370 6000 email to hal@durham.gov.uk or using the online form at http://www.durham.gov.uk/Pages/HALIncident.aspx