TRANSPORT
RECORD ROAD REPAIR BILL REQUIRES RAPID REMEDY
A massive backlog in repairing the UK’s deteriorating road network has highlighted the role of ‘built to last’ highway ironwork.
A
s the UK’s road repair bill reaches a record £18.62 bn civil engineering solutions manufacturer Wrekin Products has pointed out that the tendency to use short-term fixes for failing roads leaves ironwork such as manhole covers and gully gratings more exposed than ever and prone to lasting damage.
The company produced a whitepaper The Evolving Needs of UK Roads, which takes a detailed look at the issues putting the UK’s local roads under strain.
It follows the publication of the Asphalt Industry Alliance’s 2026 ALARM survey, which revealed that the backlog of repairs would take 12 years to clear, even with the government’s investment injection over the last year. One in six local roads are reported to have less than five years’ structural life remaining.
Paul Thompson, technical specification and sustainability manager at Wrekin, says: “The UK’s road network is under enormous pressure from rising traffic volumes, extreme weather and tightening budgets.
“Too often, the response to maintenance and repairs consists of short-term fixes rather than lasting solutions – and highway ironwork increasingly feels the strain as a result. “We wanted our whitepaper to get to the heart of what is causing these issues and the action that could be taken. One way is for local authorities and utility companies to use robust, quality ironwork that is built to last. “Fitted with the best installation methods, this ironwork could help build better resilience in our roads, extending service life, improving safety and cutting the embodied carbon impact of premature failures and repeat interventions.”
ISUZU FLIES IN TO IMPROVE LOGISTICS Truck supplier Isuzu is moving things around at Wren
Kitchens and tool hire distributor Hodgson. W 32
ren Kitchens has taken on its single largest order of trucks from Isuzu
Trucks, while Lancashire-based Hodgson Tool Hire has taken delivery of two new 3.5-tonne Isuzu N35.125 Grafters. The 70 Isuzu N75.190(E) rigids will help Wren Kitchens increase delivery capacity by 20 per cent. Each truck features bespoke demountable bodies, designed for efficient multi-drop deliveries to maximise payload capacity.
The new vehicles are both replacements for older trucks and new additions designed to support impressive business growth across the UK. Of the company’s 410-strong commercial fleet, 125 of the 7.5-tonners were supplied by Isuzu Truck UK.
Finished in Hodgson Tool Hire’s distinct green livery and mounted with durable dropside bodies and tail-lifts from Brit-Tipp,
AIA chair David Giles said the condition of local roads has become a ‘national disgrace’ and warned that road users should not to expect a ‘quick fix’, noting that years of underinvestment and extreme weather had left the network fragile.
Mike Hansford, chief executive of the Road Surface Treatments Association, which contributed to Wrekin’s whitepaper said short-term reactive road ‘fixes’ were a false economy.
He said: “The industry’s significant move away from the good practice of preventative road maintenance, which extends road life and prevents potholes, has also been detrimental to the condition of the UK road network.”
The Evolving Needs of UK Roads can be downloaded from the website at https://
tinyurl.com/57wvxmy5 BMJ
BMF creates exclusive Transport Management service category
The Builders Merchants Federation Ltd has developed a new Business Services category – Transport Management. The exclusive partner for this is Alrik, the Stockholm- based transport
management platform
the new Grafters at Hodgson Tool Hire will support plant hire delivery services across the North West of England. Replacing identical 3.5-tonners coming to the end of service, the new vehicles will ensure the company’s six- strong commercial fleet continues to operate efficiently while looking its best. On the road six days a week, the vehicles often tow tandem-axle trailers. They will transport a wide range of plant equipment, scaffolding poles and other specialist tools to customer sites. Hodgson Tool Hire expects the Grafters to remain in its fleet for at least four years. BMJ
built for builders merchants, equipment rental companies, and contractors. Transport is one of the heaviest administrative burdens for merchants and suppliers. It’s also key to unlocking immense inefficiencies across the whole supply chain.
Alrik is specifically built to solve builders merchants transport operations, and allows merchants to keep track of all their transport solutions in one place. It offers one platform for all transports, automated billing, emissions and performance reporting, and it integrates seamlessly existing software.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net October 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
