The “dangerous” pothole situation in the borough was debated at last night’s council meeting.

Cllr John Mylod (Saint Andrews) proposed a motion on behalf of the Resident’s Association (RA) that a long-term solution should be formed.

He asked for councillors to “acknowledge how they are dangerous especially for cyclists in the dark”.

He noted the inefficiency of the repairs team at the Havering Town Hall meeting.

He said: “Residents have reported potholes being painted orange three times before being repaired. This probably costs more than the repair itself.

“I have heard of money being thrown down the sink but this is money being thrown down a pothole.”

He concluded with a slideshow of the borough’s potholes.

Cllr Barry Tebbutt (Conservative, Brooklands) proposed an amendment stating the administration allocates “substantial” funds to deal with road defects.

Cllr Roger Ramsey (Cons, Emerson Park) said that last year £1million was spent on fixing potholes.

Conservative councillors pointed out that it is a nationwide problem due to winters of bad weather.

But Cllr Matthews (RA, Hacton) blamed the StreetCare department.

She said: “I don’t know if it’s the quality of the materials used or the quality of the contractors. Repairs haven’t been done since last August and still they need to be done. That’s not because of the bad weather.”

Cllr June Alexander (RA, Cranham): “My problem is the monitoring of the contractors. They come in and fill the holes, the next day it’s worse. We must monitor these contractors. If you pay peanuts you get monkeys.”

Both the motion and the amendment were passed but the RA’s motion had 10 more votes in favour of it.