I was astonished to read the figures contained in a recent Freedom of Information request to our county council which show that whilst the bill for fixing potholes over the last five years was £1,472,550, the bill to settle compensation claims for damage caused by potholes was a staggering £1,655,489. The county council is spending more on compensation than on pothole repairs.

It demonstrates the lack of priority given to highways maintenance by the county council in recent years and something that needs to be addressed before our roads, pavements and cycleways deteriorate further. In response to criticisms the county council introduced a five year road maintenance programme with £90 million of funding earlier this year. This programme should lead to some improvements but that is still just slowing the deterioration rather than fixing the problem. Whilst all the talk is about the massive £1.5 billion expenditure on the A14 Toll Road project our local roads are missing out.

If you are frustrated by potholes you can report them for repair online at http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/transport/roads/reportingafault.htm