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WANDSWORTH: Driven potty by potholes
Glenburnie Road has been plagued by potholes
Glenburnie Road has been plagued by potholes

The borough's motorists are being driven potty by unfilled and badly-repaired potholes.

The borough's council spent almost £1m less on road repairs last year than three years ago according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Holes are particularly bad in Tooting's Franciscan and Glenburnie Roads as well as Putney's Westleigh Avenue and Putney Heath, say residents.

All four roads are thoroughfares used by scores of vehicles during the daily rush hour. Cyclists and motorcyclists are thought to be particularly at risk while riding their bikes over badly-repaired and unfilled holes.

The council blamed the decline in road repair on a bad cycle of funding from central Government.

In the 10 minutes it took for our photographer to take pictures of the holes in Franciscan Road at least 20 cars drove over them.

One motorist, Ted Basden, pulled over to examine the damage to his car caused by the holes.

He said: "I've just driven through a pothole and it must be six inches deep. My car is quite old but damage is being done that I will end up paying for. I know the council will fill them if you call them but to be honest that's not my job - I have a job."

Locals say Franciscan Road has been plagued by potholes for years.

Former resident Jennifer Emerson said: "It's a disgrace. One gets filled then another pops up. Even if they fill them the tarmac gets spread across the road by the constant flow of cars. Not only is it dangerous but we pay council and road tax - what are we paying for exactly?"

A Freedom of Information request made by the Borough News revealed the council's total expenditure for footway and carriageway repairs during the last three financial years has declined by almost £1m.

In 2005 the council spent £3.1m, the following year it spent £2.5m and last year just £2.2m was spent.

The council said the decrease in spending was due to a "cyclical boost to funding" three years ago which had not been matched since. However the authority said it was expecting another "boost" soon.

A spokesman added: "We were already aware of the potholes in Franciscan Road as a result of our routine programme of inspections and it has already been programmed in for a repair. This should be completed in the next few days.

"If people are concerned about a pothole in their neighbourhood, if they report it to us we will always investigate and carry out full repairs where necessary."

8:04am Saturday 10th May 2008

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