�The leader of Brentwood’s Liberal Democrats has written to Essex County Council demanding to know when potholes will be fixed.

Cllr David Kendall wrote to senior officials to also complain about the amount of information made available to councillors and residents over the potholes.

He said it was taking too long to repair deep potholes in places that were well used.

But the council said it will be repairing potholes in two busy roads in the next three weeks.

‘Dangerous’

Cllr Kendall said: “The situation is now out of control. In Brentwood West we had a pothole in Victoria Road that waited 20 months for repair outside an elderly home and a children’s play area.

“It looks like we are facing the same situation again with a six-inch deep pothole in Brook Road still waiting for repair eight months after it was reported by Cllr Karen Chilvers.

“The potholes are inspected and marked out and then no one seems to have the faintest idea when the repair will actually take place.”

Essex County Council has announced an additional �11m budget for pothole repairs, but Cllr Kendall questioned how far this will stretch across the entire county.

He added: “Meanwhile, residents remain in a dangerous situation of swerving to avoid potholes, driving over them and causing damage to their cars and receiving injuries when crossing roads or walking on pavements. It is simply not good enough.”

An Essex County Council spokesman said: “We would like to assure residents and the local community that we are committed to improving the condition of the county’s roads, which have been affected by recent extreme weather conditions.

‘Apologise’

“An extra �11m has been invested by Essex County Council for this purpose and details of the roads that will have potholes repaired under this programme can be found by accessing the following link www.essexhighways.org/Roadworks-Centre/Potholes.aspx.

“The potholes in Victoria Road and Brook Road are included as part of this programme and are due for repair within the next three weeks. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”