North Tyneside considers tarmac to fix broken pavements, aiming for safer streets and reduced compensation payouts.
The council thinks replacing flagstones is tough. Streets with heavy parking or trees cause issues. Tree roots often need sanding before reinstalling stones. Parking on sidewalks damages paving stones frequently.
So, repairs must withstand cars driving over them. This prevents surfaces from failing quickly. Uneven streets caused over £230,000 in payouts. This amount covers personal injury settlements since 2019. Northumberland County Council paid even more at £671,000.
Tarmac repairs will only happen on problem streets. This approach avoids paving entire streets with tarmac. Complete street coverage will only occur when needed.
Fixing the same spots constantly wastes money. Motorists and trees cause unavoidable damage. This can also increase personal injury claims against them.
A council committee will discuss the trial soon. They will propose testing the new treatments for a year. After that, they will review its effectiveness.