ATTEMPTING to fix the town’s worst potholes is a lost cause, councillors have said.

The snowy weather last week has taken its toll on roads, leaving them severely damaged.

The worst hit roads include Rectory Road in Wivenhoe, Derwen Road, Ipswich Road and Lexden Road in Colchester, and parts of the A12.

Mayor of Wivenhoe, Mike Newton, said the potholes have got significantly worse in the cold weather, particularly those in Rectory Road.

He said: “They are getting deeper and there are more of them, the stones coming out of them are getting chucked down the road which has become a hazard for cyclists.

“It’s unacceptable, the surface has peeled off about an inch deep which is another hazard for everybody.”

He also pointed out bus routes and back roads should ideally be dealt with.

He added: “These roads should be kept safe, they have definitely got worse in the cold weather. It’s like driving on marbles with all the stones.”

In Colchester, there are four urgent potholes on local roads and another 53 logged for repair on main roads. These will be addressed first.

The council has had reports of 17 new potholes over the last eight days.

Wivenhoe councillor Rosalind Scott said the situation is only getting worse.

She said: “The state of the roads is just shocking. The biggest problem is Essex County Council is not mending them effectively or quick enough.

“There is one outside my own house but it isn’t deep enough to be mended, it’s now more than a meter wide.

“I’m worried about it, it feels as if it cannot be put right.”

Ian Grundy, county councillor responsible for Highways, said: “We now have around 20 of our own crews working on both emergency ‘make safe’ fixes and the longer-term and bigger jobs of permanent repairs. We have added an additional ten crews from our partner companies, being paid for by the Government’s pothole fund.

“Even with this extra workforce tackling potholes, it will take some time to work through the potholes and other faults caused by the Beast from the East, so we are asking drivers to be patient.”