Potholes seem always to be a problem but with the recent rain and snow they are worse than ever, often being repaired and reappearing at or near the same spot, with some really vicious holes causing a danger to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. However, filling potholes is not good enough, in many roads the whole surface needs replacing yet the budget to repair them is minuscule compared with the scale of the problem we see today.

The real issue the current rate of carriageway resurfacing means that on average roads will be replaced every 83 years. Yet at the same time as rapid inflation the Government has frozen the highways budget for three years. We need a highways investment program that priorities resurfacing over new road building and to invest in proper surfacing materials with the longest life.

Last year Liberal Democrats put forward proposals for the Conservative controlled County Council to put more money into road resurfacing which was turned down, we need to stop investing in new roads or wrong minded “improvement” schemes like those in Station Road and instead invest in the roads we have.

In the last four years the County Council has paid out £274,824 in compensation to drivers for vehicle damage or personal injury. The Council has a responsibility to fix large potholes if they know about them. And they’re supposed to keep the roads safe, so if you want to claim you’ll need to argue that they’ve failed in this.

The County Council will only repair pot holes over 4cm deep and we can all report them online – search pot holes West Sussex to access an interactive map that shows previous reports.