The poor condition of local roads caused at least 22 collisions that involved at least one serious injury, government statistics say.
The figures were revealed by a question from South Holland and the Deepings MP Sir John Hayes to the Department for Transport about the numbers in his constituency area that had been officially recorded as due to ‘poor or defective road surface or deposits on road’.
The response states that there were no deaths at all from accidents caused due to the road condition over the period of 2015 to 2023, the latest data available.
But the 22 incidents of serious injury in that period were among 131 in the county of Lincolnshire as a whole since 2018.
Of those in South Holland five came in 2018 and five in 2020.
There were no reported injuries due to road collisions in 2021, then two in 2022 and three in 2023.
Coun Michael Cheyne, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We’re doing all we can to ensure Lincolnshire’s roads remain safe to drive on and although we’re seeing improvements across the county, we’re continuing to fight against a long-running government strategy of cutting road maintenance funding.
“Lincolnshire has vast expanses of reclaimed land with poor underlying geology.
“This can lead to unpredictable ground movement that causes cracks in the road and potholes to form, especially when combined with drought conditions like we’ve had this summer.
“We’re doing our absolute best to sort these issues on the road as and when they appear, and we’re doing this by trialling new road mending equipment and using the Fix My Street tool to focus our resources where they’re needed most – but there’s still a lot more to do.
“In the meantime, it’s important for drivers to stay alert, concentrate on their surroundings, adjust their driving accordingly, and drive to the conditions at all times.”
Steve Batchelor from the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP) added: “LRSP receives details of all injury and fatal collisions that are recorded by Lincolnshire Police.
“Where attending officers identify a defective road surface as a potential cause (even if it’s not the primary cause), that information is shared with the Accident Investigation and Prevention team within the partnership – which includes the police and Lincolnshire County Council Highways.
“LCC Highways engineers then examine the circumstances thoroughly to identify if any remedial work may be required.”
Following the answer to his question, Sir John said: “Serious road accidents are a major source of injury and death and what we can do to change that needs to be done.
“Lincolnshire has a number of roads in poor condition, particularly due to the network often being small and it being subject to difficult ground conditions.
“It’s a challenge to keep the roads in a good condition, but it’s something I want to raise awareness of.”
