FED-UP residents who live on a road in Birdwell - that they’ve described as ‘stuck in time’ due to its 25-year-old potholes - are demanding the council push resurfacing plans forward after it was revealed they will have to wait another year for help.
Hill Top Road has faced countless issues, with residents complaining that pavements are falling apart and temporary, patched-up potholes are coming apart.
After a Freedom of Information request was put forward about the state of the road, it was revealed that the council possess no record of when the road was last resurfaced.
“One resident says that they’ve lived there since 1999 and it’s never been resurfaced,” said local Jasmine Holt, who has been campaigning on behalf of the residents.
“Whilst campaigning earlier in the year for the local election, I met a few residents face-to-face on Hill Top Road and their main concern was that the road and pavements had not been resurfaced.
“So I started to try to help the residents with a campaign to get this road resurfaced as a matter of urgency as they had been given broken promise after broken promise from previous local councillors that it would be resurfaced.
“The road is made of concrete, not tarmac, so it could be as old as the 1960s when that was commonly used.
“It’s like it’s been stuck in time.”
Coun Andy Wray heard of the concerns and has been doing his best to help the residents face this issue - however he has since ran into his own problems as the council booked resurfacing work for the financial year of 2025/26.
Despite campaigns, the council is unwilling to budge on the date, claiming that the money has already been allocated and it’s now impossible to change.
Coun Wray said: “I want every road in the Rockingham ward to be in good working condition.
“We all want that, and I appreciate that money’s tight, but that still doesn’t help the residents living here.”
Jasmine handed out letters to every resident on the street, asking them to submit it to the council and make their voices heard.
She added: “The roads across the other side of Worsbrough Road, which is known as the Bird Estate, have been allocated funding for resurfacing which has already taken place.
“The roads in this estate are in all in a good state of repair and didn’t warrant resurfacing.
“The residents deserve a road they can rely on without fear of falling or having car damage.
“Elderly residents do not come out on their own in fear they may fall and break a bone or two and kids go play further down on the road where it has been resurfaced away from the safety of their homes.
“The local council can and should bring this resurfacing forward to the 2024/25 financial year without delay.”
Matt O’Neill, executive director for growth and sustainability, said the council is ‘dedicated’ to improving the road network.
“We have made significant progress on this investing £20m in the last financial year and a further £17m this year.
“The 2024/25 programme of works, which has been approved by cabinet, covers a range of roads across the borough and additional schemes cannot be brought forward during the year.
“Hill Top Road is provisionally scheduled to be included in the work programme for 2025/26.
“Any emergency repairs or defects required will be checked and rectified by our highways team as and when they are reported by the public.
“We’d like to thank all our residents and businesses for their patience and co-operation whilst we carry out investing in highway works across our borough.”
