Innovation

Shropshire Council is to launch a third in-house pothole filling team within the next few months, speeding up the process of repairing roads.

New council leader Heather Kidd has made improving the state of Shropshire's roads one of her top priorities within the first 100 days in power.

Her new Liberal Democrat administration said road maintenance over the past 20 years had not been good enough.

But the group, which took control of the council following local elections earlier this month, admitted that the previous Conservative administration had begun the process of launching a third team.

The poor state of the county's roads was an issue raised by residents across the county in the lead up to elections on 1 May.

"People have been complaining about potholes time and time again and often repairs have not been good quality," said Lib Dem councillor David Vasmer, the new portfolio holder for Highways and Environment at Shropshire Council.

"There is a huge backlog and catching up will be an enormous job."

Mr Vasmer said the council was not putting a target on the number of potholes it intends to fill, but hopes residents will see "a bit of a difference" in key areas, like roundabouts and junctions.

More than 41,600 potholes were filled in 2023, with half being carried out within five days of being reported.

Shropshire Council is funding its new team using some of the £33m it received from government last year to improve the county's road network.

Council highways contractors Kier and Multivo are also part of the multi-agency effort to maintain Shropshire's 3,200 miles of roads.

Kier's contract, which has been worth about £28m a year since 2017, was due to end in April but it has been extended by 12 months.

According to the council, there is also an opportunity for Kier to be awarded two further 12-month extensions to take highways maintenance provision through to March 2028.

An e-scooter rider has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving following a collision with a taxi.

A 19-year-old rider was involved in the crash in Ilkeston Road, Radford, Nottingham, at around 03:00 BST on Thursday.

Nottinghamshire Police said the scooter was hired through the council transport scheme and was therefore allowed on the road, but e-scooter riders "must adhere to the same rules as any other driver".

Ch Insp Paul Hennessy, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "In the same way as driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol is illegal, riding an e-scooter whilst over the limit is also a criminal offence and will be punished accordingly."

"So rather than thinking of their rented e-scooter as a novelty to be taken lightly, I encourage users to think of them instead in the same way they would think of a car or a motorcycle," he added.

"Because if we catch them drinking and driving, they will be treated in exactly the same way as other road users – with all the legal, personal and professional consequences that go with that.

"Thankfully no one was injured as a result of this incident, which I hope will serve as a warning to others."

"One home would be bad enough but not three, all in a short time."

Former milkman Tony Fowler, 66, from Leicestershire said he had raised concerns he had about three care homes in the last four years to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Mr Fowler said he had been a regular visitor to care homes in the Melton area as he had built up relationships with some of his elderly customers, which he maintained after they went into care.

He is now calling on the CQC to inspect homes annually and hand out fines. A CQC spokesperson said the frequency of its inspections depended on previous findings and information received.

Tony Fowler, who ran a milk and grocery delivery business, said he used to check in on his elderly customers across 26 villages in north Leicestershire.

"We all expect as we get elderly to be looked after and cared for in a comfortable manner and when this doesn't happen, small things add up to make life a misery really," Mr Fowler said.

The latest care home which Mr Fowler complained about was The Amwell near Melton.

It was rated as inadequate by the CQC last month after an inspection in December 2024. A spokesperson for the home said a new leadership team has now been put in place.

"The quality of life that my friend received had been very poor, often he hadn't been washed or changed [he was incontinent].

"You'd often go into his room and the smell of urination sometimes brought tears to your eyes, you couldn't be in the room for more than half an hour," he said.

Mr Fowler admitted that caring for the elderly was a difficult job but said at times he would find it upsetting to visit and had witnessed residents left in their rooms calling for help in the evenings.

"One of them was a blind person who'd been left some food but nobody was helping her to eat.

"It can be quite upsetting for the person seeing it and obviously the person involved as well," he said.

A spokesperson for The Amwell Care Home said the "health and wellbeing of our residents is our absolute priority".

"We take all feedback extremely seriously and have invested in long-term action, working tirelessly to ensure we are delivering the highest standards of care.

"We are in discussion with Mr Fowler to address his concerns about previous challenges in the home, and we would like to reassure our residents and their families that the findings of last year's CQC inspection are in no way reflective of the current high quality of care being delivered at the home today.

"We remain committed to delivering the highest standards for the people in our care, and our significant progress has been recognised by the local authority which is satisfied with the action we have taken.

"We look forward to welcoming the CQC back to our home, and we are confident that they will reaffirm the positive steps that have been made."

'Heart breaking'

Mr Fowler said he had made complaints about two other care homes, including one where he said his friend received inadequate care.

"I had to wash his hair, cut his hair and shave him," he said.

"When he was done you showed him himself in the mirror and he smiled, he felt good."

Mr Fowler is now calling on the CQC to hold annual checks on all care homes similar to a car MOT.

"These are people who are vulnerable and elderly, when you've worked hard all your life you expect the minimum at least of care, not to be short changed. It's heart breaking," he said.

A CQC spokesperson said: "The frequency of our inspections depends on previous inspection findings and ratings, information we receive and evidence we collect.

"The CQC can use its enforcement powers when care isn't meeting the standard that people should expect. This can include imposing conditions, suspending or cancelling a service's registration, issuing fines, and in some cases a prosecution."