Sir, – If the owner of a "sensitive" building intends to demolish it he will leave it empty for a long period of time to allow it to deteriorate and then state that it has to be demolished owing to its bad condition. Surrey County Council regarding the appalling condition of the roads is using this same sort of "reasoning".
It says that the bad frosts we have been experiencing have got into the roads and deteriorated them. The answer to that is, if the roads had not been so badly neglected it would not have happened.
These potholes have not just appeared; they have been in existence for a very long time. The roads in Farnham town and the surrounding area are in an unacceptable condition with potholes, cracks, general erosion and sunken manholes. Driving on them is unmatched with anything at Thorpe Park and as taxpayers we are not getting any value for money. In too many cases the motorist is met with having to swerve to avoid damaged areas or risk causing damage to their vehicles. The problems are just too numerous to document but two come to mind that involve a double swerve within a few feet. They are situated prior to the traffic lights at the Albion pub, when leaving the town. Watch out for them!
I wrote to Surrey County Council (July 2008) asking many questions regarding the neglect of the roads in and around Farnham and virtually nothing has changed since then. In an article in The Farnham Herald recently comment was made from the highways department of SCC that included a "request" for members of the public to notify the council of the whereabouts of the potholes. I wrote to the department again recently, pointing out that the onus is not on the public to monitor the condition of our roads and then to send in reports to the highways department accordingly. They have people employed to do just that. It's having a dog and barking yourself, isn't it?
We must brace ourselves for a large increase in tax sometime in the future when the council will eventually be forced to resurface all the roads and it makes you question what has happened to the money already collected that should have been allotted to road maintenance? And I wonder how much longer motorists will be able to use the Six Bells roundabout.
Letters of complaint regarding the roads are beginning to appear in The Herald and I would hope that the correspondents are also directing their feelings to the chief engineer at the Highways Department of Surrey County Council, Kingston-upon-Thames. Every motorist should do likewise.
Winston Burrows, Coppice Close, Weybourne