16.05.23 – Pot Hole Repairs in Staffordshire,
Written by Hitmix Local News on 16 May 2023
A new fund will help county councillors tackle potholes in their local area.
The £2 million fund will be used to tackle defects already reported to Staffordshire County Council by the public, and gives county councillors the opportunity to prioritise local repairs above other non-urgent repairs.
The money is part of the £4.8 million the county council received from the Department for Transport’s pothole fund. This is on top of the already-announced £5 million investment for road repairs, and a £30 million investment in the county’s roads over the next two years.
The scheme will run alongside the existing member’s Divisional Highways Programme (DHP), where members work with communities, parish councils and other local bodies to identify improvements that can be made in their local areas. These improvements can be anything from addressing local concerns about road safety, to signage and other maintenance tasks..
The scheme is live now, with any work anticipated to take place in the summer. Meanwhile, people can still report defects online at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/ReportIt.
Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Highways David Williams said: “This new fund will help local communities and organisations bring their highways issues to the attention of local members. Local members know their individual areas incredibly well, and are in the best place to be able to determine what highways issues need to be tackled, in partnership with local people.
“Defects affect everyone, but we must prioritise those that are the most dangerous. Even so, we recognise that there may be lower-level defects that affect local areas and is what this fund is for.
“This fund will run alongside each member’s divisional highways fund, which is also used to tackle issues such as drainage, defects and signage that local people want addressing.”
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Officers working as part of our dedicated operation to target cannabis cultivation have discovered a significant grow in a high street property in Stoke-on-Trent.
We were called at 5.33am on Friday (12 May) to a large building on High Street in Tunstall following reports of suspicious activity.
We attended and found hundreds of young cannabis plants including: 200 plants in one room; about 150 plants in another; around 50 in a third room, along with numerous plastic sheeting.
The electricity had been bypassed in the property and a sophisticated heating system had been set up.
We also found and seized two mobile phones and a log book along with £570 in cash.
A 37-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of being involved in the cultivation of cannabis.
We have informed Western Power Distribution to isolate the electric supply and currently remain at the scene carrying out forensic inquiries.
The discovery follows the force’s ongoing Operation Levidrome which aims at disrupting the production and supply of cannabis in our communities.
Scott McGrath, local policing commander for Stoke-on-Trent north, said: “It is vital that if you suspect a cannabis grow in your area that you report it to us as soon as possible.
“These grows pose significant risk of fire as well as other complex criminality such as cuckooing, exploitation and violence.
“The information and intelligence you provide to us could be the key to uncovering organised crime groups and making your community safer.”
For the signs to look out for if you suspect a cannabis grow in your neighbourhood, visit: Cannabis farms | Staffordshire Police.
For more information on Operation Levidrome, see: Staffordshire Police increase efforts to target and disrupt cannabis cultivations | Staffordshire Police.
To report a crime in your area, contact us via Livechat on our website or call 101.
Call 999 in an emergency.
