Road surface 'a disgrace' after pipe collapse

A road has been branded a "disgrace" by a local councillor after the pipes beneath it collapsed.

Malden Road in the Pittville area of Cheltenham is in a poor state of repair but Gloucestershire County Council said it is reluctant to resurface it until the collapsed pipes beneath it are fixed.

Julian Tooke, councillor for Pittville and St Paul's, is demanding Severn Trent Water fixes the problem so the county council can resurface the road.

Severn Trent said it is aware of the issue but needs to conduct further investigations to understand the cause.

Tooke told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it would be pointless for Gloucestershire Highways to resurface the road before the pipes have been fixed.

"The road surface on parts of Malden Road is a disgrace," he said.

"There is plenty of evidence to suggest that this is substantively caused by the collapse of pipes - which are the responsibility of Severn Trent - underneath the road surface."

Tooke said if the road surface was repaired before the pipes were mended, the road would continue to sink.

"We keep asking Severn Trent to confirm the position, and if necessary, repair the pipes so Highways can tackle the road surface," Tooke said, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"They refuse to do so. In the meantime, residents are stuck with a very damaged road."

Severn Trent said a team had been to Malden Road to carry out investigations.

"We will be returning to do additional surveys with the council to help understand the cause of the issues," a spokesperson added.

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