I READ your article about pot holes and as someone who regularly reports them to Highways Ross I would like to make the following observations.

Firstly I have found them very responsive and they usually do make some form of repair relatively quickly. However, these repairs usually take the form of simply putting some tarmac in the hole and tamping it down.

As a consequence water getting into the repair and then freezing plus the passage of traffic quickly brings the tarmac out again and the hole returns within a few months.

I have reported the same holes three or four times now and the same pattern is repeated.

My father was a highways inspector for the West Riding for many years and he always told me that for repairs to last the hole needs to be cut back to give a firm edge to the hole. The tarmac needs to be rolled to make sure it is firm, then the edges need to be sealed to stop water getting in. Patched in this way the hole should not return.

This process would obviously take longer and be more expensive but in the long term it would be more economic since the repair would only need to be done once. My experience would suggest much of the money spent on repairs is currently wasted. It would be better to do the job once but to do it right.

I have also found that some of the worst holes have a specific cause such as large volumes of water running down the road because there are no drains or the drains are blocked. It is this water forming ice which causes the problem. But, the holes get filled and nothing is done about the cause so the holes return within months.

I also refute the claim that there is no current backlog with potholes. They may keep up with the holes reported but I would suggest that for every hole reported there are dozens that go unreported.

People like myself only report the bad holes that could cause damage or an accident. I can show them dozens of holes in local roads in our area, all of which need to be repaired. We simply report the worst and assume the council’s own inspectors will spot the rest. In reality I don’t think many holes other than those reported by the public receive attention.

There is another problem causing nearly as many problems as pot holes, manhole covers that have dropped. Heavy lorries have caused many manhole covers to sink often by up to four or five inches as the bricks supporting the cover crumble with the constant pounding of heavy lorries.

I have reported some of the worst ones and while some have been repaired others remain untouched after three years. The specification for manholes needs to be upgraded to cope with the loads that pass over them today.

Finally, the article asked if there is a problem with the quality of new roads and I would suggest there is. As an example the road through Denby Dale was resurfaced a year or so ago but there are holes beginning to appear already. A new road should be good for many years.

A second example is the road from Skelmanthorpe to Emley. This was re-surfaced recently using a technique where the road surface was dug up, mixed with tar and rolled flat again. The idea presumably being to save the cost of new materials. It already has many holes and at times of rain has deep puddles because nothing was done to grade the road or fill in any existing holes. In other words the same holes are in the same places as before.

I am sure any motorist in Kirklees will confirm all the comments I have made.

Richard Graham

Skelmanthorpe

Standing down

AFTER a long number of years on the Upperthong Village Hall Committee, and a number of those years in the role of chairpersons, Gary and I have taken the decision to stand down.

The Village Hall has struggled for a long time for new Committee Members and volunteers. There is now an enthusiastic group of people who are very committed in taking the hall and events from strength to strength.

Our decision to stand down has not been taken lightly and we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of those people for their help and support over our years at the hall.

We would also like to wish them all the best for the future and hope that they have as much fun as we have had and that they find being part of a thriving community as rewarding as we did.

Helen & Gary Wilson

Holmfirth

Safe paths to walk

I READ with interest your article on Dalton Improvements (January 23). Why is it always improvements for council estates, and not the rest of us?

Go along Brownroyd Avenue there are lovely safe paths down to the stadium, with hand rails and seats, a walk mainly used for pleasure I believe.

In contrast come to Kirkstone Ave Dalton and the path down to Kilner Bank Road. In this weather it is very dangerous to walk on. There is not even a hand rail. It is used a lot, mostly by people going to work.

I spoke to a councillor some years ago about the matter. Still nothing has been done!

Come on Kirklees Council, get your priorities right. Work versus pleasure!

CS

Dalton

Backward step

COLNE Valley MP Jason McCartney doesn’t like being labelled as a Conservative very often, even though his voting record shows he supports his Government almost all of the time.

He started the New Year in his true blue form as he congratulated David Cameron on taking a lead on welfare. Those welfare changes Mr McCartney supports with enthusiasm mean that for the first time in my lifetime mothers will no longer receive child benefit for their children as a right.

That backward step is estimated to affect around 2000 women and families in the Colne Valley constituency.

Welfare changes approved in the last few weeks will also result in around 10,000 working people in the constituency on low incomes seeing their living standards cut, as Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits are cut in real terms.

As has happened so often with this Government, when it comes to sorting out the economy, the bankers who created the mess sit by and watch women and children suffer the most.

Cath ingham

Holmfirth

Volunteers praised

WRVS volunteers have been battling through the snow and ice to continue to deliver services to older people and check that they are safe, warm and well.

Fear of slipping on icy paths and treacherous road conditions mean that older people often cannot get out and about and without our volunteers they may not see anyone else for days at a time.

I’d like to say a massive thank you to our volunteers across the region who have continued to deliver vital services like Meals on Wheels to the housebound, despite the bad weather. Many volunteers have gone beyond the call of duty and have carried on when other services have stopped.

Thank you and keep up the good work!

Carol Nevison

WRVS head of operations for the North East & Cumbria