RESIDENTS say a biker could die if pot holes in a busy Horkesley Heath rat run are not repaired.

Old House Road is pitted with craters, with some estimated at one foot deep.

Resident John Button, 72, said he and his neighbours had been trying for five years to get the road permanently repaired, instead of patched up.

Mr Button, a semi-retired editorial consultant, said: “I have never seen such pot holes in my life.

“A bike or motorbike will hit on of those and die. They won’t see it in the dark.

“It has been patched and patched and patched but it does not work."

County councillor Tracey Chapman, responsible for highways and transportation, said: “The Highways Team carries out routine inspections of the network on a regular basis as well as ad hoc inspections of roads when problems are reported.

“Essex County Council rates and assesses all potholes under safety monitoring guidelines and they are prioritised according to their level of severity."

To report a defect on an Essex County Council road should contact the highways department on 0845 603 7631 or visit the Essex County Council highways website.

Read more in this week's Essex County Standard.