Cllr Jeff Tucker

Road surfaces across the borough came in for harsh criticism as Havering’s budget passed through the council chamber last night.

“I think we would all agree the need to spend more on road repairs,” said Cllr Keith Darvill. “It’s still a big way to go before the roads in the borough are anything like what we would all like.”

But Cllr Jeff Tucker said Havering’s roads were in good condition – compared with those in Nigeria.

In a speech branded “incoherent” by Cllr Ray Morgon (RA, Hacton), he said: “If anybody ever gets the opportunity to go to Nigeria, don’t take your car there.

“When I’ve been away to those places and come back to Havering and look at our potholes, we’ve got nothing to complain about.”

The council announced an extra £1m would be spent on repairing pavements and roads this year, bringing the total budget for 2013 to 2015 to £5m.