Slew of complaints over 'ugly' tarmac fix in Market Harborough town centre

Utility company National Grid has carried out repairs to a cable fault in the town centre, leaving patches of tarmac in between paving slabs in Church Square – which lies within a conservation area.

The company has explained that some of the slabs, which had been previously lifted, couldn't be reused as they had concrete attached. The process, they said, could take up to two months.

A National Grid Electricity Distribution spokesperson said: “We’d like to reassure residents that the tarmac seen on Church Square is a temporary measure. This allowed us to reopen the footpath quickly after undertaking emergency repairs, as some of the slabs were not in a condition to be reused. We are working at pace with Leicestershire County Council to source replacement slabs from the original supplier so that the pavement can be fully restored.”

Leicestershire County Council which oversees highway maintenance, said that the temporary fix may be in place until after Christmas.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm the current re-instatement of the area in question remains a temporary arrangement until the utility company returns to the site.

“We think it is unlikely there will be any permanent fix before the Christmas period but that’s a matter for National Grid. We’ll be ensuring the appropriate permits are in place and will be chasing their submission.”

Harborough District Council leader Phil Knowles, who previously contacted the county council over the matter, said: “I'm pleased to have seen confirmation of how this may have occurred but I find it regrettable that we might have to tolerate this out of character patchwork into 2025. The sooner this is rectified the better."

Harborough MP Neil O’Brien said that he had also been in contact with district councillors, describing the temporary fix as ‘ugly’ on his social media.

His post received a mixed response.

Some residents agreed, calling the work ‘cheap’ and ‘dreadful’.

Other comments suggested there were more pressing matters to take issue with such as flooding and housing.