New data released this week has revealed that there are currently more than 7,000 potholes littering roads across Greater Manchester.
According to research carried out by Manchester-based personal injury specialists at JMW Solicitors, the number of potholes is continuing to cause safety concerns for the growing cycling community and other road users, and the cycling injury team at the law firm used data provided by fixmystreet.com, to uncover that, as of January 2021, there were 7,114 reported open pothole cases in the region.
The top three worst-affected boroughs are the city centre (2,356), Bury (834) and Oldham (751) – and the data suggests that this number will continue to rise in 2021.
The number of reported open pothole cases in Greater Manchester increased by almost 5%, from 6,783 in 2019 to 7,114 in 2020, and the worst-affected region, Manchester city centre, saw an almost 6% increase over the same period, from 2,228 to 2,356.
“Potholes can cause serious, life-altering injuries to road users, in particular cyclists and motorcyclists.” said Nadia Kerr, Head of JMW Solicitors’ Cycling Injury department.
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“It is vital that these road defects are repaired to allow road users a smooth journey [as] unlike motorists, cyclists and motorcyclists who come across a pothole cannot simply go through it as this will most likely force them off their bike. Also, they cannot always just swerve around them easily in case they find themselves in the path of traffic.”
Potholes in the region have become so bad that John Whittle – a cyclist from Manchester – was awarded a four-figure payment by Cheshire East Council after his bike hit a large pothole 9cm deep along Mottram Road in Alderley Edge.
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He was knocked off his bike, sustaining injuries to his back, side and shoulder.
Mr Whittle said: “I’ve been a cyclist for many years, so I’m used to looking out for potholes given the atrocious state of the roads – this one was filled with water, so I didn’t see it and before I knew it, I was on the ground, having injured my back, side and shoulder. The injuries caused me issues at work for several weeks and were obviously very painful, but it could have been much worse. It’s disappointing that the council took so long to investigate the pothole, putting more people in danger.”
According to JMW, it is the local council’s responsibility to maintain the roads in their area so that cyclists, motorcyclists and other road users can travel safely.
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This is a legal obligation as stated in Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.
Geograph / Kenneth Allen
“While there has been an increased presence of roadworks repairing potholes whilst roads have been quieter as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, not enough is being done to prevent the number of potholes increasing.” Nadia continued.
“Councils should be conducting regular checks to identify any potential hazards and ensure defects are repaired properly within a reasonable amount of time [and] if the council fails in their duty to maintain and repair roads and pavements, and someone suffers an injury due to a pothole or other road defect, they are entitled to make a claim for the pain and suffering it causes.”
As a keen cyclist and cycling accident solicitor, Nadia waged a nine-month campaign against Manchester City Council about a single pothole to help protect fellow commuters from the road defect.
The pothole – located on Upper Chorlton Road in Manchester – was deep, large and dangerous, which could have resulted in serious harm to a cyclist should they have hit it, and following five complaints, a barrage of social media posts, and a request made under Section 56 of the Highways Act, the pothole was finally filled in.
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Since sharing her story on social media, Nadia has been inundated with pothole complaints and cases from concerned commuters.
Nadia continued: “As a concerned member of the public, a campaigner for road safety and active travel, and a cycling accident solicitor, I was determined to keep trying to get this defect filled, but this is just one pothole in one local authority area, and there are thousands more across the region.”
Since JMW started to report on the number of potholes in Greater Manchester in 2018, the overall number of potholes in the region has increased by one third, from 5,341 in 2018 to 7,114 in 2020.
But as Nadia says, “this is [still] not good enough”.
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Greater Manchester cinemas to screen family-favourite films for just £2.50 this spring
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester cinemas will be screening family-favourite films, and some new releases, all throughout this upcoming spring holidays.
The best bit? Prices start from a massively-affordable £2.50 a ticket.
With Easter right around the corner, and schools across Greater Manchester set to be on their spring holidays in a couple of weeks time, parents and carers will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained while schools are out.
But now it’s time to take care of those film lovers… and also those keen to plan budget-friendly events that also take into account the classic Manchester April showers.
Cinema chain Vue has announced its lineup of family blockbusters showing at venues across Greater Manchester this spring – including Printworks, Lowry, Bolton, Altrincham, and Bury.
Arriving in time for the school holidays, A Minecraft Movie welcomes fans to their favourite cubic wonderland, while the whole family can instead transport themselves into Disney’s reimagining of the 1937 classic Snow White if they’d prefer.
Also returning to the big screen are childhood classics like Wallace & Gromit: Curse of The Were-Rabbit, 20 years after its original release, and the beloved Babe, to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary.
Greater Manchester cinemas will be screening family-favourite films for just £2.50 this spring / Credit: Disney | Aardman Animations
And as part of Vue’s ‘Mighty Mornings’ offering, film fans can enjoy pre-releases of family-friendly flicks like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Moana 2 every day throughout half term, all from just £2.49 per ticket when booked online.
“A trip to Vue this Easter break is the perfect opportunity for families to immerse themselves in the magic of their favourite big screen characters,” commented Rob Lea, who is the Head of Screen Content at Vue UK & Ireland.
“More than just entertainment, it’s a chance for children and parents to switch off, connect, and create lasting memories together.”
Featured Image – Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
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Pep Guardiola delivers gutting news as Man City are hit with Erling Haaland injury blow
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola has passed on some gutting fitness news for Manchester City fans as star striker Erling Haaland is confirmed to be injured for several weeks and could even miss the rest of the Premier League season.
The title might be out of reach this year, and the Champions League knockout against Real Madrid was definitely hard for Blues to take, but with Man City into the semi-finals of the FA Cup, there’s still a very strong chance they could end 2024/25 with a piece of silverware.
However, they’ll have to make it through another two massive rounds at Wembley and seemingly the remainder of the season without Haaland and his goals, as the Catalan coach revealed that the club expects him to be out injured for “six to seven weeks.”
Not exactly how City fans would have wanted to see the rest of an already frustrating season play out.
🗣️ "We don't have another player with his skills."
Relaying diagnosis from the medical team, Pep said the hope is that the big Norwegian number nine could be back for the very tail end of the campaign, but at the very least, he “will be ready for the [FIFA Club] World Cup.”
He went on to add that “these kinds of things happen” and that he feels “sorry” for all of the other injuries that have befell his squad up till now, adding that they can only hope for a speedy recovery and for him to return as soon as possible.
The 24-year-old hasn’t had too many big injury problems in his career thus far, although his longest spell on the sidelines did come at the end of 2023 when a stress fracture kept him out until the new year.
This time around, Haaland suffered an injury to his ankle during the City’s FA Cup win over Bournemouth on Sunday following a challenge from defensive midfielder Lewis Cook.
He was forced in the second half and was seen leaving the Vitality Stadium on crutches after the game.
Erling Haaland seen leaving Bournemouth in a protective boot and crutches. 🤕
Having led the golden boot race for a good chunk of the season – as he’s become accustomed too since he arrived in England – City‘s sub-optimal season has seen him slink into second behind high-flying Mo Salah on 27, but he still has a couple dozen goals and a trio of assists to show for it.
Speaking of Salah, the soon-to-leave ‘Egyptian King’ has been the talisman for Liverpool this season, and his contributions could see them lift the trophy in Arne Slot’s first season as early as 13 April, depending on how fellow title rivals Arsenal fare in their next two matches.
As for how City round out their domestic campaign, reclaiming the FA Cup after last year’s derby disappointment looks like the main goal.
You can watch Pep Guardiola’s press conference ahead of the game against Leicester City at 19:45pm tomorrow (Wednesday, 2 April) in full HERE.