Pothole fears for Island Games road race course

We’ve touched on pothole concerns in England, Scotland and Wales in recent weeks but even on the Isle of Wight which has one of the mildest climates in the UK, road craters are causing a headache, reports the County Press.

The authorities there are particularly concerned about crumbling tarmac as the island is hosting the International Island Games, a multi-sport competition which has been held every two years since the inaugural event in 1985.

The fourteenth Games will take place on the island from June 25 - July 1 but  concerns have already been raised about the state of the roads through Ventnor which will be hosting the criterium event.

Island Games marketeer Michelle Russell told Ventnor Town Council: "The bad weather has taken its toll on the roads and it’s important for the cyclists the roads are as good as they can be. We would like the circuit to be resurfaced or at least the pot holes filled in."

Cllr Harry Rees said: "When you think about the coverage the event will attract, we will look stupid if the roads are in the state they are at the moment. They are not fit for purpose. We have to make the Isle of Wight Council see sense."

But Peter Hayward, the council’s head of highways and transport, said: "We will be discussing the cycling events, including the proposed routes and road condition, with the Island Games Organising Committee soon, although we have yet to agree the routing for any of the road-based events."