Pavements in Bamber Bridge have started to resemble a ‘patchwork quilt’ of ‘poor-quality’ and ‘ugly’ repairs – less than a decade after a major revamp of the area was complete.
That is the verdict from one South Ribble Labour councillor frustrated that pavement slabs on Station Road are not being replaced like for like.
Cllr David Bollenberg, representing Bamber Bridge West at South Ribble Borough Council, said the ‘ugly tarmac’ is replacing the town’s granite paving slabs.
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He said: “From outside the Pump, outside Food Warehouse, outside the Trades, and now outside Withy Arms, Brig’s granite paving slabs are slowly vanishing and being replaced by ugly tarmac. In the case of the Withy Arms patch, badly applied ugly tarmac.
“Why are the granite slabs not replaced, like-for-like? Why does Brig have to put up with its expensive footpath being turned into a patchwork quilt of increasingly poor-quality, low-skilled tarmac repairs?
“I think the residents and tax-payers of Bamber Bridge deserve to know what is happening to their pavements. If you want answers as well, I would encourage you to email and ask the same questions. This is your village, you need to be active in making sure it is looked after, both for you and for the next generations.”
Much of the pavement in Bamber Bridge was revamped in a project that started in 2016 that meant the slabs were put down as part of wider plans to make the area more welcoming and more pedestrian friendly.
It was a £3.5m project undertaken with funding from the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal and took several years.
But now Lancashire County Council says that alternative vehicles are now being looked at to prevent recurring safety issues.
They added that they do not store replacement slabs at local depots so full pavement repairs are not always viable.
A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said: “In some locations, temporary materials are used to make the footway safe following utility works, while permanent reinstatement is planned. In other cases, slabs may be removed where they’ve been repeatedly damaged and need replacing.
“We don’t store replacement paving slabs at local depots, so full repairs are carried out when we have enough work in an area to bring in specialist teams and materials.
“Where pavements are regularly affected by heavy vehicles, we also look at whether alternative materials may be more suitable when permanent repairs are carried out, to help prevent issues recurring.”
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