'Appalling': Backlash after only half of Rainham road resurfaced

Leader of the Independent Residents Group (IRG) for the Rainham and Wennington ward, Cllr Jeffrey Tucker, said the repair to only the first half of Lake Avenue is “ludicrous”.

Cllr Tucker, who lives in Rainham Village, said workers only focused on areas used by the bus route, leaving out a section of the road.

He said he has been calling on Havering Council to repair the road for years: “I was told the whole road would be done, not half the road.

“I understand the bus route is an important part of the road but the far part hasn’t been done since the 1960s and the Tarmac has almost gone.”

But the leader of Havering Council, Damian White, told the Recorder that over the past four years, the amount invested in highways has “massively increased”.

He said: “We’ve spent about £45m on rebuilding our roads as historically the council used a patchwork quilt approach, which, as you can see, isn’t viable or sustainable”.

From left to right: Former councillor Alby Tebbutt, Cllr Jeffrey Tucker and Cllr David Durant. (Image: Sandra Rowse)

Cllr White said every road in the borough has been “independently assessed by a team of structural engineers”; the council’s approach has been to direct investment to the worst roads first.

But Cllr Tucker said his ward's residents shouldn’t be asked to wait any longer.

He added: “It doesn't just look horrible, it’s also dangerous as the cement is powdering and is very slippery – it looks appalling.

“The part that was worse has been left. It’s ludicrous.”

Cllr White added: “While some of the roads on the surface may not look particularly attractive, we take into account what is below the surface, how the road is used, and so on.

“This information is fed into a system and it selects the road based on professional advice.”

But Cllr White agreed that the “road looks as if it needs attention”.