The Highways Development Team plan structural and preventative maintenance programmes following thorough assessments of the borough's highways.

These inspections are fed into the United Kingdom Pavement Management System (UKPMS). Incorporated within the Government's 10 year transport plan, two major highway maintenance objectives were highlighted which Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council are working towards:

• To arrest the deterioration of the highway network by 2004
• To remove the maintenance backlog of the highway network by 2010.

The type and quality of maintenance processes have improved over recent years and Streetscene services has been an active user of the new methods of surfacing available.

The successful re-introduction of carriageway surface dressing, together with the introduction of The Rhinopatch Road Repair System, and the correct use of conventional and thin wearing courses all play a vital part in the new method of service delivery.

The use of better quality preventative maintenance processes such as slurry seals, microasphalts and surface dressings can show substantial cost savings over the use of structural maintenance processes such as resurfacing or reconstruction.

Typically it costs over six times as much to resurface the footway or carriageway of an 'average' estate road than it would cost to use a preventative maintenance process.

The highways section undertakes all civil engineering and highway maintenance improvement and construction processes.

As well as dealing with all types of paved areas, bridges and retaining structures, we are able to undertake decorative block paving and conservation work.

Potholes

The Pothole Moles are a specialist response team - part of the Council's Streetscene service, tasked to repair potholes.

When working in your area, The Pothole Moles pledge to repair potholes reported during the same or following working day.

To find out where The Pothole Moles are working, please see 'Related Items'.

You can report a pothole by any of the following methods:

• Completing the on-line form under 'Related Links'
• By calling the Pothole Hotline on 0845 833 4444
• Write to The Pothole Moles, Streetscene, Enterprise House, Oakhurst Drive, Cheadle Heath, Stockport SK3 0XT.

Obstructions on the Highway

To report obstructions such as 'A' Boards, building materials, shop displays, ramps in the channel line, and incorrectly positioned scaffold/skips/hoarding on either the footway or roadway contact Streetscene on 0845 833 4444.