A string of road works has affected Sutton due to gas works and road repairs. Even the High Street will be closed from the 16th March to 21st May and all of these road works are causing disruption to travel in the area. Road works can be found stretching from Beddington to Sutton Town Centre and beyond.

The damage to road surfaces is said to have been caused by 30-40 years of neglect and coupled with the effects of the cold winter, faults in the roads have been exposed and damaged. The blame has also been put upon private energy firms who carry out the works necessary for their business and then resurface the road poorly.

Repairing road surfaces cost £103 million last year and in this year’s budget the Chancellor has set aside £100 million to cover the cost of these repairs.

However, whilst road works are indeed a great inconvenience to anybody trying to travel along the routes affected by them they are also needed to maintain not only our ability to travel but also to keep our homes supplied with gas. Therefore, I asked a number of people in Sutton what their views were on the road works throughout the borough.

“They just get in the way of everything, I’m late to school and I’m late home.” Said one local teenager.

“They’re annoying but I wouldn’t want to break my suspension going over a pothole, they’re necessary but they wouldn’t be as annoying if they seemed to be working for once.” Stated another local resident.