The cost of repairing the city's roads could cost £1 million, a council chief has warned today.
Leeds council has warned that if the weather continues to be severe it is likely that the damage could end up costing a similar amount to last winter's prolonged cold snap.
The city recently experienced heavy snowfall with road surface temperatures down to -11C, leading to roads being damaged and new potholes forming as water thaws and re-freezes.
The conditions have led to an increase in road pothole reports via the Guardian Leeds Fix My Street section, with more than a dozen reports in the past fortnight.
They include reports here and here and here of problems on the main A647 artery into Leeds near Bramley and Pudsey. A large pothole on the south of Farrar Lane, near Holt Park, exposes ironworks and another report of a pothole near a pedestrian crossing in Woodhosue Square 'because of poor workmanship'.
Councillor Richard Lewis, executive board member for city development, said when the prolonged cold snap between last December and March ended, it became clear that a great deal of damage had been done to the city's road network. The cost, which was on top of the normal cost of road repairs, was over a million pounds. He added:
"Our planned and coordinated response to the recent poor weather was aimed at keeping the main roads and emergency routes across Leeds clear. We still have three months of winter left and our gritting crews remain ready and waiting to tackle whatever the weather can throw at us.
"Last year the poor weather increased the number of potholes we had to deal with and cost us an extra million pounds.
"We remain committed to tackling potholes, but both during and after this weather we may well face a major challenge."
BBC weatherman Paul Hudson has today warned on his blog that 'winter looks set to return with a vengeance over the next few days'.
What do you think about the number of potholes and the condition of Leeds' roads? Do you know of any really bad ones? Post your comments in the section below or visit our Fix My Street section to make a report to the council.
Sports pitches to open
In bad weather-related news Leeds Council this morning announced that all council-managed sports pitches will be available for use this weekend - the first time since the bad weather of three weeks ago.
A spokesman for Leeds City Council said:
"All Leeds City Council-managed sports pitches have now recovered from the recent extreme weather and have been passed fit to be reopened for play this weekend. There are predictions of more bad weather on the way though so it will be at the discretion of match referees as to whether fixtures go ahead."
What do you think? Have your say in the comments section below.
