Temporary road surface is causing driver frustration

Frustrated motorists have criticised the state of a temporary road surface in front of an ongoing housing development, with one driver saying it has damaged his vehicle.
The road surface close to the Persimmon Homes development in Amble.The road surface close to the Persimmon Homes development in Amble.
The road surface close to the Persimmon Homes development in Amble.

Properties are currently being built at Persimmon Homes’ Coquet Grange site in Amble and work has included the construction of a roundabout on the A1068, which runs alongside the new estate and is a main entrance and exit route to and from the town.

A stretch of the road currently has a temporary surface, which is uneven, has no markings and has a ramp at each end where the temporary surface meets the existing road. And it is proving to be a headache for motorists.

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Posting on Facebook group Northumberland Newsdesk last Thursday, Gary Clark said: ‘Well the new housing estate at Amble with the new roundabout has claimed its first victim – me! Burst/failed suspension struts and I was crawling up the lip in the road off the temporary road surface.’

His post prompted a string of comments, including from Rebecca Shoemaker, who wrote: ‘The road there is disgraceful and it’s been like that since before Christmas.

‘I’ve stopped going that way and go through Amble now the other way to avoid it.

‘I don’t think you will be the last to suffer because of it.’

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The state of the road hasn’t just caused complaints on social media. At last Thursday’s Amble Town Council meeting, members admitted that they had concerns about it.

A county council spokesman said: “Persimmon Homes are constructing the new roundabout on the A1068 to access their housing site. The surfacing of that section of the road was delayed due to the bad weather, but the contractor has since been instructed to make any necessary repairs to the road surface as soon as is practicable. We will be checking the progress of this this week.”

The Gazette contacted Persimmon for a comment, but did not receive one by the time of going to press.