PEMBROKESHIRE taxpayers have been left with a hefty bill to fix the county’s roads after one of the harshest winters in a decade, writes Laura Clements.

Storm Emma and the ‘Beast from the East’ have taken their toll on road surfaces, causing potholes to open up and damage to the edges of the carriageway.

Pembrokeshire County Council has estimated it will need to spend nearly £1million to repair the roads.

Since January, the council has spent £44,090 on temporary repairs to potholes on roads across the county.

But it will have to spend a further £869,000 on permanent repairs to those same potholes.

A further £130,000 overspend has come about from dealing with the extreme weather in February and March.

People can report the location of potholes, either directly to the council or via fixmystreet.com. Many have reported recurring potholes which have reopened despite patching efforts.

One motorist reported a cluster of three potholes on the B4320 to the west of Hundleton in March, with one deep enough “to have a cyclist or motorcyclist off”.

They said: “The largest of the potholes was repaired about two months ago and is now opening back up due to frost.”

The hole had been previously fixed in an emergency response by the council.

Another road-user flagged up a pothole on Barn Street in Haverfordwest. They said: “An old repair here is breaking up such that some motorists are swerving to avoid the hole in the road. And this is while approaching the pedestrian crossing.”

Others have experienced damage to their vehicles as a result of the state of the road.

Drivers can claim for compensation if they experience damage from a pothole, but only if the hole has been reported.

In Wales, 131,479 potholes were filled in 2017-18, an average of one every four minutes, according to the latest results of a survey produced by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA).

Last year, Welsh councils filled an average of 5,976 potholes each, down from 6,410. The planned cost of filling a pothole was £61, with a reactive repair costing £60.

The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) met with the Welsh Government last month to see if money was available to help councils fix their roads.

A spokesman said: “Recent extreme winter conditions will have had an adverse effect on roads across Wales, and WLGA is currently in discussion with Welsh Government about supporting local authorities to cover some of the additional costs incurred.”