ANGRY town centre traders and councillors claim the state of Clacton’s roads will put tourists off from returning to the resort.

There are large potholes outside Clacton train station in Carnarvon Road, as well as in High Street and there are more than a dozen potholes in a 100-metre stretch in Rosemary Road.

Graham Webb, chairman of Clacton Town Partnership, said: “The roads are despicable, there’s no other word for it. They are that bad that there are cables exposed in some of the roads.

“One thing that infuriates me is that there are chips piled up on the road to Great Holland and they’ve been there so long that plants are growing up them – why aren’t they on the roads?

“Tourists visiting the town centre must be disgusted - when you drive around the town centre you find yourself constantly swerving.

“Some are so deep that you are at risk of damaging your car.

“If people come here on holiday and damage their car’s suspension, they won’t be very happy about it and won’t come back. The High Street is breaking up and is beyond the point of no return – it needs complete resurfacing.

“These roads are not worthy of a town in a country that has the fifth richest economy in the world.”

Gazette:

Pier ward councillor Mohammed Khan called for Essex County Council to take action and said he would be raising the issue at Tendring Council.

“This is our peak holiday time and the roads give a very bad impression of our town,” he said.

“It should have been done before the summer holidays. It is a safety issue and should be a top priority.”

Gazette:

An Essex Highways spokesman said: “We are currently scheduling repairs on a number of potholes in Clacton.

"The work is being planned around the busy summer holiday period in a bid to cause as little disruption as possible for residents, local businesses and visitors.”