FURTHER to the articles and letters of the potholes in the Trafford area, I contacted Trafford Council and asked why, out of the 14 locations named for repair, only two of them are in the Flixton, Urmston, Davyhulme area, whilst the rest appear to be in south Trafford.

The north of Trafford is left to suffer yet again!

Broadway, Davyhulme, has got to be the most undulating road in the area; the whole road is cracking up and supports the well-known potholes.

Moorside Road, especially within the vicinity of the Trafford General Hospital, needs repair.

But what about the end of the slip road at Junction 9 of the M60 when travelling from Sale — one pot hole must be one metre wide and two metres long and this on a major highway.

It has been in this condition for months.

The majority of roads in this area are a nightmare to drive on and I certainly would not consider them to be safe — motorists have to concentrate more on avoiding the potholes (especially when it has rained or is dark), instead of the traffic, and on some roads, there is no option other than to drive through potholes when there are parked cars in the vicinity.

I plead with the council to attend to the pothole repairs forthwith, before anyone gets seriously injured or worse.

I am aware of several people who are making claims against the council for damage to their cars caused by potholes and the poor upkeep of the roads in this district, but in a recent letter to one of them, Trafford seems to be trying to absolve itself of any responsibility by stating "Section 58 of the Highways Act provides a legal defence to the council if it can demonstrate that it took all reasonable steps to ensure the highway was safe" and "not every defect (eg pothole) will require repair, defects must meet the criteria council’s code of practice before they can be identified for repair".

Below is an extract from Trafford Borough Council’s website about what constitutes a pothole and the timescale in which they should be repaired.

The council never seems to meet this criteria and so is contradicting its own guidelines.

It also has the audacity to ask for your motor insurance company details when you fill in their claim form — why should it need this, when it is responsible for the disgusting, unkempt roads and damage to your vehicle?

On many occasions when the council has actually deemed to come out and make repairs to potholes in my area, within weeks of the repairs, the asphalt is breaking up and causing more damage to vehicles.

Repairing the same potholes time and time again cannot be cost effective.

Also, can someone advise why the council so intent on relaying footpaths when it is the roads that need attention?

It seems to have got its priorities wrong.

I agree with one of your reader’s when he said that “the labour is sitting and waiting in a prison cell”.

Taxpayers and council tax payers are keeping them fed and watered while in Her Majesty’s Care so in return they should offer some labour.

May I add that those who are on probation or doing community service could also be employed to help clean up the litter in the district, especially around the slip road areas of the M60 which are full of rubbish and are an eyesore.

Work harder, Trafford Council, on improving our driving conditions please.

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