ONE main road into Huddersfield is like a dirt track, according to a driver.
David Wilson of Slaithwaite has been complaining to Kirklees Council for months about the dozens of potholes along Manchester Road.
The retired postmaster said: “It’s like a dirt track, it’s not a properly surfaced road at all.”
Mr Wilson, 69, says the road is strewn with potholes, including two long parallel holes on the Manchester-bound carriageway at Linthwaite.
Mr Wilson, who lives on Lingards Road, first reported the potholes to the council in November and has made around a dozen phone calls since.The road is yet to be fixed.
Mr Wilson said: “I appreciate the weather had been bad but Kirklees should be doing more. Manchester Road is a main road between Huddersfield and Manchester with a lot of traffic.”
Mr Wilson, who retired as postmaster at Quarmby Post Office eight years ago, added: “I’ve saved a lot of money to buy a decent car and I don’t see why I should be bumped up and down on the road.”
There are also serious pothole problems in Shelley. Jon Hartley has complained to Kirklees about holes on Penistone Road, Park Avenue and Westerley Lane.
Again, he is also unhappy that nothing has been done.
Mr Hartley said: “The people of Shelley are still getting a poor service from our council. Whilst council tax payments have not reduced, the service has.
“Apparently the council has filled in 7,500 potholes, but there’s not a sign of one being done in Shelley.
“I travel many miles a week and it’s just as bad all over Kirklees. Our roads are shocking in comparison with many other places.”
A Kirklees spokesman said: “We were on the A62 with a planning machine yesterday and we should be resurfacing today.
“In some areas the repair gangs need to work on a Sunday due to traffic considerations and obviously this means some work is stored up, but the council has now filled in more than 7,000 potholes.
“The extreme winter weather, which was the most severe for 30 years, left roads all over the country in a very poor condition.
“The council allocated extra resources to tackle this problem and we are working extremely hard to reach as many potholes as possible in the quickest time we can.”
AA president Edmund King called on the Government to use a fuel tax increase to finance pothole repairs.
He said: “Fuel duty will rise by 2.5p per litre from April 1. If this windfall was diverted into pothole repairs than all of the country’s potholes could be filled within 100 days”.
