TWO councillors have warned highways bosses that they will take matters into their own hands to repair Clacton’s deepest potholes.

Clacton East county councillor Colin Sargeant and St Mary’s ward councillor Mark Stephenson have told Essex County Council they are prepared to do the work themselves if action is not taken.

They claim the council is too slow to repair deep potholes in Clacton, including a number of large holes in Old Road.

Mr Stephenson said: “The system doesn’t work. For months the potholes in Old Road have been sprayed and marked for repairs.

“I watched as last week they were marked for the fifth time.

“I’ve seen a motorbike lose control, cars swerve and nearly collide with oncoming traffic and received complaints from residents who can feel violent vibrations in their homes from the many buses and lorries that use this road.

“It has been very frustrating waiting months to get a single light problem resolved and watching potholes getting marked for the fifth time rather than repaired.”

Mr Sargeant asked the county council if they could temporarily fill the potholes themselves with tarmac.

But he was told that an individual or company can only work in the highway with the right licence.

He said: “The Old Road potholes have been reported to highways months ago and continue to widen and deepen

“In the meantime, these potholes are an immediate danger to cyclists and motorcyclists and will continue to damage tyres and shock absorbers.”

The councillor said they will be monitoring the state of potholes in the St Mary’s ward and will be meeting with County Hall bosses to discuss the issue. Ian Grundy, county councillor for highways, said: “We would discourage people from risking their own safety by taking matters into their own hands, especially when we already have 30 crews working on a daily basis on urgent fixes and the longer-term permanent repairs.

“The Government recently awarded Essex another £2.6 million to add to the £3 million in revenue funding we have already pledged to invest in pothole repairs starting this month.

“Of course it will take some time to work through the damage caused by the snowy weather recently, so we are asking road users to be patient.

“But rest assured we are getting on with the job and getting to grips with the problem in Clacton and across the county.”