THE never-ending saga of our roads riddled with potholes has taken a completely new twist with the dire warning streets could have to close if councils can’t afford to repair them.

Kirklees Council leader Clr Mehboob Khan has warned that if money is not forthcoming from the Government then parts of the local road network could become unusable should there be more flooding or another severe winter.

He insists it is not scaremongering and says the reason is that the council could be liable for compensation if pedestrians or car users are injured on poorly maintained roads.

The potholes have long been a bone of contention among Examiner readers and some would suggests that today’s problems have been caused by poor workmanship in the past and the council had not done repairs of sufficient quality during the good times.

But there again motorists pay out a fortune in road tax which is reaped by the national Government so there is a responsibility there for them to ensure that all publicly adopted roads are in a well-maintained condition.

It’s a service that people are paying for yet not getting and in many other areas of life that would be completely unacceptable.