WORSENING damage to vehicles and safety fears have sparked fresh calls for pothole repairs in Colchester.

Residents have been left frustrated due to ongoing pothole problems in the town with East Street and near East Bridge being particular hotspots.

One angry resident labelled the roads in the town “a disgrace” and said: “They are a danger to cars and motorbike riders.

“The damage they can do is unreal.

“Road users pay tax to maintain the roads, so why is the council not doing anything to maintain them?

“The size and number of potholes is unreal, especially on Military Road, just passed the turning to Roberts Road, and the stretch of road by the Seige House and Ipswich Road.”

It comes after Essex County Council received more than £13million from the Department for Transport to repair potholes in the county.

But the lack of action is a concern, according to Colchester councillor Mark Goacher.

Now he is calling for urgent repairs to the area’s worsening pothole crisis.

Read more:

He said: “Potholes on East Street and around East Bridge are now causing damage to vehicles.

“They have been reported multiple times to the county council and yet still no remedial action has been taken.

“I understand there are plans to resurface the road, however, this does not solve the immediate problem.

“On Saturday, I visited the site and witnessed vehicles veering off to the middle of the road to avoid the deepening holes.

“This is absolutely not the fault of drivers as the potholes are clearly a hazard to cars.

“Cyclists have contacted me about the real threat to their safety posed by this as the poor surface could easily fetch someone off their bike.

“Temporary remedial action to fill in the holes is long overdue.

“It is time for Essex County Council to stop neglecting Colchester in this shoddy manner and get some graft done on our roads and drains.”

Pothoiles on East Street have become a menace for drivers

Potholes on East Street have become a menace for drivers

An Essex Highways spokesman said: “Essex Highways recently carried out some temporary make-safe repairs on East Street, and plan further work shortly to keep the road safe before it is resurfaced later this year.

“Essex Highways have a final work planning assessment on Monday for further repairs as quickly as practically possible.”