RESIDENTS and parish councillors have expressed their frustration at the “terrible” state of roads in north Wiltshire.

Tempers flared at the Malmesbury Area Board last week (13) when councillors spoke out against the fact that their requests for road improvements had not been followed up by Wiltshire Council.

Parish councillors have been regularly reporting the pot holes to Wiltshire Council, some of which have not been fixed two years after being reported. A lack of central funding has left the council dropping these requests on priority lists.

The poor weather blighting north Wiltshire recently has taken its toll on the roads, and pot holes that drivers have dubbed as “dangerous”, are worsening.

Richard Moody, chairman of Oaksey parish council says the situation is getting concerning around the village.

“Since before I came here, over three years ago, Earls Corner floods regularly due to a broken drain, every time there’s rain,” he said.

“The residents are really fed up with it. To go to school the kids have to put wellies on; it’s quite disgraceful really.

“We want to help them but cannot get Wiltshire Council to move; we’ve complained for several years.

“If you take a drive through Oaksey, you’d be staggered by how bad the roads are.

“It’s frustrating for us, as Gloucestershire have done a lot of repairs over the last year nearby. It stops at the boundary, we look at that quite jealously.

“It’s an issue of money, these cuts are savage, and they really affect us on this level. The whole area is just a mess.”

David Kimble, a parish councillor for Oaksey, injured himself falling into one of the pot holes at Earls Corner.

“In amongst the tarmac, there are a number of holes,” he said. “I tripped and tumbled straight in like a rugby player diving for the line. I was completely soaked, cut my hands, and cricked my neck.

“Earls Corner is the access to the main footpath that goes north from the village, so there are people going up and down all the time.

“There are several families that live down there, a number that take their kids to school who can’t get through that patch of ground without wading through of water. I don’t know how they get to school without muddying their feet.”

Veronica Hourihane, clerk for Oaksey, Miney and Ashton Keynes parish council, said: “We’ve been asking the council to fix the drain in Oaksey for a while.

“They said have to get a machine out that puts camera down, but they did this two years ago, so we’re not sure why they’re doing it again.

“At Ashton Keynes there’s one they’ve known about for years. When it freezes it makes it precarious. The council have consistently been quite slow.”

Bob Tallon, clerk to Brokenborough Parish Council said: “We’ve had bad pot holes like everyone else.

“The one near the Horse Guards pub in Brokenborough has resulted in six punctures. If you miss the pot hole, you go in a ditch.”

Residents in Malmesbury has also lambasted the state of the roads around the town.

Ross Parker, 26, from Malmesbury, said: “At the end of the day this is people lives these councils are playing with.

“It's ridiculous the condition of our roads at the moment. You think if you don't notice that dent in your rim and end up on the motorway with a blow-out; [it] could easily kill someone.

“My wheels cost a £1000 a wheel; if they get dented the council won't pay up.”

Paula Radcliffe, 47, also from Malmesbury, said: “Let's hope they do a better job than the repair up Abbey Row on the hump, which is in need of repair again less than a week since they did repair it.

“The roads in and around Malmesbury are in a terrible state and have been for a very long time. They get worse by the day.

“I never see the council out and about doing anything about the issue.”

Caroline Steele suffered a flat tyre because of the state of the roads around Malmesbury. She said: “I was driving down the hill from Kemble airport when I swerved one pot hole and hit another, which punctured my tyre.

“I had to wait an hour in the freezing rain for the RAC as it was too dangerous for me to change on my own on the side of the road.”

In response to the criticism, Philip Whitehead, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for highways, said: “We are investing £21m a year to resurface roads all over Wiltshire this year, however if residents have any concerns about potholes we would encourage them to report them to us and we will prioritise the areas which require the most urgent repairs.”