Peterborough City Council approved a £1 million works order on June 23 to repair highways damaged by extreme weather, with Weather in Peterborough now tied to a citywide repair programme. M Group will carry out the work across the council’s boundaries.
The programme was backed at a Cabinet meeting after Angus Ellis said extreme weather is having a major effect on Peterborough’s highway surfaces. He said: "It is vitally important that we act now," and added that the work will help keep highways "in an excellent condition for all road users and prevent key routes having to close in future."
Angus Ellis and M Group
The council has set aside the money as part of its 2026/27 budget, and the works order directs M Group to treat roads damaged in recent years by drier winters and warmer summers. For drivers, that means the repair list is not a one-off patch: it is a planned round of works intended to deal with surfaces that have deteriorated over time.
At the Cabinet meeting, Neil Boyce asked what warranty the council holds with M Group over works that have been done. He said: "We've recently had issues with road surfaces that have been resurfaced failing within 12 months." Angus Ellis replied that resurfacing works carried out through the M Group contract are subject to a Defects Period and said: "The Defects Period lasts for a year."
James Collingridge on peat soil
James Collingridge added the complication that not every failed repair points to poor workmanship. He said roads built on peat soils are far more prone to undulations reappearing within 12 months of being repaired, and explained that peat is roughly 80 to 95 per cent water. He also said the council will inspect follow-up repairs to determine whether they are due to poor workmanship or the underlying peat soil issue.
That leaves a practical question for road users in Peterborough: which routes get attention first under the £1 million order. The council has approved the funding and named the contractor, but the immediate decision now turns into detailed inspection, assessment and repair work across the city.
