SURREY County Council has ripped up its failed 24-hour pothole repair policy and replaced it with a five-day response time, which the councillor in charge of roads admitted could cause a "major issue with regard to safety".
Cabinet member for roads John Furey said the current 24-hour pledge policy, in place for almost two years, didn't work and branded it "nonsense".
The council believes the change will save money by enabling it to better plan road repairs, instead of having work gangs rushing across the county to effect temporary repairs on individual potholes.
Mr Furey told a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday: "This is nonsense, mainly because you don't get it done, and when you do get it done it is in the wrong place. It possibly wasn't the best use of residents' money.
"We have had people over the last year rushing around looking at potholes. They arrive in a road, deal with one pothole where there are 27 others. It is not good value for money.
"This move will enable us to move that from a 24-hour response to a five-day response. It can be programmed – and the 27 potholes will be fixed.
"There is a slight risk that there still could be a major issue with regard to safety defects. We will deal with that.
"If a problem defect is found to be life-threatening or could affect a resident or driver, then it will be dealt with in a 24-hour period. This is not in the report but it is set."
The cabinet also agreed to a shift from annual inspections of major roads to three-monthly inspections.
