Your article and reporters on page 8 of last week’s edition rightly pointed out that Herts County Council has the third highest number of potholes as highlighted by Cycling UK.

As your readers know it’s something that I and my fellow Liberal Democrat Councillors have been banging on about for years. In successive budgets at county hall we have argued for extra investment year in year out only to be voted down. We argue for the contractor to get it right first time when fixing them - it does not!

Your reporters highlighted Clarendon Road as a bad example - there are of course many others. However there is good news on the Clarendon Road for after yeas of complaints from myself and residents the county council has at last been included in its resurfacing programme for the next financial year - about time too.

But turning to getting it right first, it’s still a problem. I reported three potholes in Tucker Street, Watford Fields in December. At first I was told they did not need repair but after getting a inspector out they agreed they should be. They were filled with asphalt. I checked the job it was poor as the asphalt was not sealed in and I pointed out it would fail. I was told the job was adequate - but within weeks it had started to lift out. I reported it again and complained. Yet another inspection and county agreed it had to be done again. It was and it is now a proper repair! Clearly persistence pays off but it should not be like that with both a waste of time and money.

It’s a never ending battle with our Conservative County Council as Cycling UK have pointed out!

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst

County Councillor for Central Watford and Oxhey