Before you sigh “not potholes again”, my letter contains a glimmer of hope.

Recently, for the third time in two years, I had to replace perfectly good, expensive tyres following impacts with potholes resembling mini-sinkholes. All of them in Surrey and Hampshire.

The good news is that the pothole responsible for my most expensive replacement has been repaired! Was it the claim I made for a new tyre (results pending) that sparked this miracle? Further, driving through and around Farnham, relying on muscle memory to swerve in time for known potholes, I noticed that several of them have been repaired.

Could it be the beginning of the end of our pothole nightmare?

The bad news is that the newly repaired hole on Tilford Road was not the worst in the area. There are many, many more that remain unfixed on my regular route between Farnham and Haslemere. Indeed, there are so many that fixing them across the county would be like the labours of Sisyphus – eternally ongoing.

So, what can be done about this very dangerous state of affairs? I have a few ideas that may help. If we can’t keep up with repairs, then highlighting these dangerous mini craters may reduce the inevitable accidents that can follow, to say nothing of the cost of new tyres.

I suggest that motorists carry a fluorescent paint spray can and use it to highlight the most dangerous tyre traps they encounter, as a warning to other motorists. I don’t see the local authorities marking the dangerous spots.

In these days of pockmarked roads, all drivers should keep a good distance from the car in front, so they can react if the car they’re following has to swerve or suddenly slow down when the driver spots a hole in the road ahead.

On this point, the local authority could provide car rear window stickers which read: “CAUTION: I swerve for potholes!”

Some of the worst holes can be easily spotted in daylight – if you’re not driving too fast. But at night they become invisible. Even with dipped headlights, it can be difficult to pick them out. I’ve noticed that some selfish drivers use full beam on winding country roads for this purpose. Highly dangerous to oncoming traffic – just slow down instead!

Finally, if you are unlucky enough to lose a tyre to this road menace, you can always apply to the county council for compensation, as I did.

But be warned, this is an arcane and laborious process which took the best part of a day to complete and takes a minimum of four months to resolve. The chances of a successful claim are extremely small from what I’ve heard.

Wish me luck, I have another three months to wait.

Rob Lowthian,

Oast House Lane,

Farnham

I have just received a flyer from Reform UK which simply reminds me of what we’ve known from the beginning: that the proposed West Surrey Council is bankrupt before it is even born, and asking me to sign a petition.

I understand the Government has offered £500 million in funding, but that still leaves the putative council in debt, according to the flyer, to the tune of £7,000 per household.

It is obvious that the only way this debt can be resolved (other than the Government picking up the whole tab) is by increasing council tax each year by inflation and more.

In what way can it be seen as fair that a council, or councils, which have demonstrated they could not run a whelk stall are allowed to walk away from their gross financial mismanagement without any kind of comeback, leaving it to those of us who never voted for these clowns to pick up the pieces?

These are councils of political parties I wouldn’t dream of voting for now or in the future.

I have written elsewhere that, until there is any scintilla of accountability applied to public servants — aka nomenklatura in their current form — we, the funders of this nonsense, will continue to pick up the pieces, while the same clowns in local and national government who affect people’s lives are allowed to blithely continue in public office.

Don Latuske,

Badshot Lea

Families across Lebanon are being forced to flee their homes as the conflict in the Middle East grows. More than 700,000 people have already left their homes following repeated bombings and evacuation orders. Many towns and cities are now under fire, and Lebanon is on the brink of a major humanitarian crisis.

Family homes are being destroyed. People are escaping with almost nothing and taking shelter wherever they can — schools, communal shelters set up by the government, crowded public buildings, or makeshift shelters. Many are already full, and some families have no choice but to sleep outside amid ongoing airstrikes.

At ShelterBox, we’ve launched an urgent fundraising appeal to support our response. We’re working with a local organisation and Rotary in Lebanon to support families who have been displaced.

Together, we are preparing to provide essential items that are urgently needed — including blankets, mattresses, food containers, solar lights, kitchen sets and hygiene kits. Our partner is visiting the hardest-hit areas to speak with affected families about what they need most, helping us shape the right package of support.

We have responded in Lebanon before — most recently during the 2024 conflict — and we are drawing on that experience once again.

If your readers can support us by sharing our appeal or making a donation, it would make a real difference to families who have been uprooted from their homes.

Haroon Altaf,

Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa,

ShelterBox