COUNCIL workmen have come under fire over “shoddy” road repairs.

Residents in Dryclough Avenue, Crosland Moor, say the road is now worse than it was before.

Kirklees Council crews started patching work on Monday and warned residents it would take three days.

But work crews finished on Tuesday, leaving locals furious.

Mrs Liz Clayton, 33, of Dryclough Road, fired off an e-mail to the council describing the repair work as “shoddy.”

She said that parts of the road which were fine before had now been damaged by some heavy ‘caterpillar’ type machinery.

“The work is an insult to council taxpayers,” said Liz, an NHS administrator.

“They said the work would take three days so it’s no surprise they finished a day early.

“They have cut out sections in the road but not filled them properly and there are holes where it looks like they have just sprinkled tarmac over them. One tap with a shoe and it’s all loose.”

Liz, married to Stuart, 38, said she was disgusted at the state the road had been left in.

“This is worse than it was before and I want to know what the council is going to do about it,” she said.

“People take pride in their homes and gardens and it’s a shame it’s been left like this.”

Also this week the Examiner reported on poor quality resurfacing in Broomfield Road, Fixby, where council bosses ordered contractors to return to put it right at their own expense. However there was no apology over Dryclough Avenue.

A council spokesman said the road had now been swept and no more work would be carried out until re-surfacing in 2013.

In a statement the spokesman said: “Dryclough Avenue has been patch repaired in preparation for surface dressing in 2013.

“These works repair damaged areas in advance of the surface dressing (tar and chip) of the entire road. It is not cost effective to sweep each street as they are repaired so we wait until there is a few to do.

“By recognising and addressing the onset of cracking and deterioration of the surface we can make cost effective preventative maintenance repairs rather than expensive full resurfacing.

“No further works are required until the planned surface dressing in 2013.

“The patching works cost £2,500”.