WHO is responsible for ensuring that our roads are maintained in reasonable condition? Until recently I had assumed that this was the Council's responsibility, but it seems that I was wrong.
On the evening of Monday, October 4 I was driving along the B4228 from St Briavels towards Chepstow when the nearside wheels of my car hit a very large and deep pothole. I soon discovered that the front wheel and tyre were damaged beyond repair, and the back wheel was also damaged. I rang the highways department and they sent me a form which I filled in and returned to them.
Several weeks later I received a reply. It seems that the council has a statutory obligation to inspect the road every six months and to repair any reported faults within 24 hours. The road had been inspected on May 7, they had received a complaint about the pothole at 2.30 on the day I encountered it and had repaired it the following morning. They had therefore fulfilled their obligations and could take no responsibility for the damage.
Meanwhile, the council have done their usual 'put a shovel full of tarmac in the hole' repair, and after recent rain a new hole is already developing.
We all know that potholes develop rapidly. Heavy rain and all the extra heavy lorries using this road when Lydney High Street was closed have made the situation worse. How many of us know that it is apparently our responsibility to ensure that the roads are repaired?
It seems to me that the statutory obligations are nowhere near adequate to ensure roads are adequately maintained. All they do is provide the council with a perfect get out from accepting any responsibility for damage caused by their negligence. – David Cracknell, Castle Crescent, St Briavels.