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Fury over raw deal on roads
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| Raw deal: Martin Clapton. |
PEOPLE living in cul-de-sacs are getting a raw deal and being treated to an inferior standard of road repairs, according to an angry resident.
Martin Clapton, of Oakapple Close, Stourport, has complained about what he calls "shoddy" resurfacing work taking place on some estate roads in the Stourport, Areley Kings and Astley Cross areas.
He explained the first resurfacing work on his road took place last November and immediately resulted in defects such as potholes, while the top surface was so loose it resembled a "forestry track".
He said a new top surface was added on March 25 and 26, which was an improvement but still of inferior workmanship.
Mr Clapton, an inquiry agent, said: "It still leaves a great deal to be desired. It is very rough in texture, very loose at junction entry and exits and obviously suspect to breaking up quickly.
"It is also a totally inferior standard to that laid by the same contractor on Abberley Avenue, Princess Way, Langdale Close and other roads which may, or may not incorporate bus routes."
He added that the contractor, Ringway, had completely covered several manhole covers, making no effort to work around them.
He said: "This is of even greater issue to residents of Oakapple Close, as the cul-de-sac has been liable to flooding, notably in 1993, 1995 and June, 2007. "
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| Second rate: Poor road resurfacing in Stourport. |
Mr Clapton said other cul-de-sacs nearby had been dealt with in a similar manner such as Oakhampton Road and Callow Close.
He added: "The residents in these roads affected by such shoddy workmanship must obviously feel like second rate citizens.
"This clearly is not good enough and demands stronger managerial actions from our council. Do they not ask for any form of guarantee to the standard of finish or the durability of contractors work?"
Mr Clapton added that the houses in Oakapple Close were built between 1971 and 1972 and the original road surface had been good enough to be largely untouched for the next 36 years.
Lee Shrimpton, spokesman for Worcestershire County Council, said: "Because there's less traffic on estate roads, the materials needed to resurface areas are slightly different and less robust materials are needed."
He added that the highways maintenance scrutiny task group had questioned the policy of "patching up" estate roads and £15 million had been added to the capital programme for resurfacing works in October last year.
He explained: "With Kings Arms Lane and Oakapple Close, this surface didn't prove to be up to the job - every road is different - so it required an additional micro-asphalt surface to ensure it is up to the standards residents expect."
"There are also raised ironworks that we're aware of - the manhole covers - and they will be tidied up in due course, although a specific date hasn't been pencilled in yet."
Use the box below if you have a comment on road resurfacing in your area.
11:27am Wednesday 9th April 2008
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