COUNCIL contractors have had to pay for repairs just weeks after they completed roadworks on the busy A54 Tarvin bypass.
Dowhigh Ltd, employed by Cheshire County Council to carry out the original £600,000 project last month, have now been forced to resurface the road after it failed to meet expectations.
The Liverpool-based firm has had to pay an undisclosed amount for the repairs of six sections of the A54, used by thousands of motorists travelling to and from Chester every day.
Dowhigh director Peter Allard admitted they had experienced problems with the road surface and blamed adverse weather for the mistake.
He said: “The problem was caused by extremely severe weather experienced during the time we were undertaking the surfacing work.
“There was a problem with the cold temperatures affecting the materials.
“Every local authority needs to clear their books by March 31 but whether there was more pressure in Cheshire because of the split I cannot really comment.
“If we had been working during the summer, we would not have had this problem.”
The repairs will take about seven days to be completed, causing yet more disruption for commuters passing through Tarvin.
Drivers have already suffered long delays over a 12-week period during the initial works on the A54.
Cheshire West and Chester spokeswoman Shirley Wingfield said: “Because of the road being bumpy in places, the road is being redone over the next week in six sections.
“The section completed on Monday was the largest measuring 180m. The other five sections, of about 15m in length, will be completed over the next week between Tarvin roundabout and the Copper Kettle pub.
“We would like to apologise to motorists if the work disrupts traffic.”
