THE impact of the covid pandemic and spells of bad weather in recent months will be seen on Denbighshire’s roads for years to come, according to a senior councillor.

In a report to councillors this week cllr Brian Jones, the lead member for waste, facilities and environmental services, said that even before the restrictions came into force the highways and public realm teams were tied up for several weeks dealing with the aftermath of February’s storms.

The restrictions prevented a full assessment of the damage being carried out but drainage repairs must be carried out before this autumn and winter.

There is a backlog of work and yet the majority of the workforce is only just returning to work.

“The impact of 2020 has been even more significant for highways,” said cllr Jones.

The floods damaged roads but the pandemic has meant that virtually no maintenance work has been possible.

“To miss the usual window of opportunity to maintain and renew our roads, and then go straight back into another winter, is inevitably going to take its toll on the network,” says the report.

The recent storms have added to the backlog, with a lot of debris evident in many locations, and the report continues: “Our reduced ability to maintain the network as usual will have implications for years to come.

“We cannot just return the network back to its previous condition by catching up later with the work we should have delivered during the past six months and during the rest of 2020. Once a road deteriorates into a poor condition it c an only be brought back to an acceptable standard at considerable cost.”

Another problem is that although some contractors have returned to work they are trying to manage a backlog of work for a wide range of clients.

“Progress is being made,” said cllr Jones.

“We have completed a few resurfacing and structures work in recent weeks, but we are not making the smooth progress that we would like.”