Closed
Outside 43 Lower Street
Sent to Buckinghamshire Council less than a minute later. FixMyStreet ref: 9214475.
Structural road surface failure outside 43 Lower Street, Quainton. This is our tenth report for the same defect since December 2022. Previous references: 40207409, 40210623, 40210681, 40211430, 5537656, 5951663, 5951756, 7314852, 8351447.
The road has dipped significantly around multiple failed repairs and patches, from Thames Water utility items through to the road drain, creating depressions that hold standing water across the full width of the carriageway. The surface has collapsed to the point where drain covers and stopcocks now sit proud of the surrounding tarmac. A crack runs part way across the road from either side of a Thames Water stopcock. The drain gully near the kerb is surrounded by cracking in every direction. Towards the near edge there is a visible step where the surface has dropped, which fills with water after rain.
This is not just a wide shallow pothole with numerous patches. In places the sub-base itself has failed, and this section needs substantive structural repair, not another temporary fix.
Vehicles hitting these dips cause severe vibrations that shake 43 Lower St. A repair was scheduled for April 2025. The area was marked up with spray paint but no repair was carried out. Our March 2025 report (7314852) then became dangerous enough to require an emergency repair in June 2025, but that repair was minimal and is already showing signs of degrading. We were told the council would return to complete the work. They did not. That report has since been removed from FixMyStreet despite the underlying structural defect remaining unresolved.
We are submitting a formal complaint to the council and reserve the right to serve notice under Section 56 of the Highways Act 1980.
Updates
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The report has been passed to the Highway Officer, who will carry out an inspection of the issue within 10 working days, emergency defects will be corrected or made safe at the time of the inspection, if reasonably practicable to do so. In this context, making safe may constitute displaying warning notices, coning‐off or fencing‐off to protect the public from the defect or other suitable action. If the inspection team cannot make safe the defect at the time of inspection, then they will instigate the relevant emergency call procedures to ensure appropriate resources are mobilised to make the defect safe.
There may also be occasions when the issue reported will not be repaired as it has been classified as a minor defect and does not pose any risk to either the safety or the integrity of the highway, these are called minimum recording levels as specified in our Highways Safety Inspection Policy in these cases no action will be taken.
During winter months we receive a very high number of reports regarding potholes or a poor road surface, it's easy to assume that potholes are formed due to roads being poorly maintained but that is not usually the case. There are many factors that can cause potholes, particularly during the winter months when water seeps in through cracks in the road surface, collecting underneath and when the water freezes, it expands and creates cracks in the road surface. Our priority is always the safety of road users, so in some cases during busy periods a permanent repair is not always possible immediately. However, temporary repairs are a way to ensure the area is safe until such times as we can return to make a permanent repair.
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We have reviewed your report and are happy to inform you that a job has already been raised for this issue. Thank you for taking the time to let us know, because your reports alongside our Highways Inspections and night scouts (lighting) are crucial to ensuring our network is safe for all residents and visitors.
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Regards
Buckinghamshire Highways
This report is now closed to updates from the public. You can make a new report in the same location.