ROADS satisfaction has plunged seven per cent in Worcestershire - in a damning public verdict on the county’s potholes, cracks and divots.

Just 35 per cent of people say they are satisfied with the condition of the highways network, a 6.8 drop in a year.

And after 5,200 postal surveys were sent out by council chiefs, the number of people stating they are “very dissatisfied” with the network has increased five per cent, to 15 per cent.

The findings have frustrated politicians, one of whom told the director in charge of Worcestershire’s road to “get on a bicycle” and see the potholes for himself.

John Hobbs, the director responsible for the environment, first suggested the media was to blame for people’s “perceptions” of the roads, then said the harsh recent winters was partly behind it.

He also said the public need to report more potholes when they are spotted - but admitted some “country” routes may not be seen by a highways worker for six months.

The feedback was debated during a meeting at County Hall, where some councillors insisted the findings be taken seriously.

Councillor Graham Vickery said: “You say the condition of the roads continues to be good, but satisfaction has dropped - how can you come to the conclusion the public’s perceptions are wrong?”

Mr Hobbs said the authority does an annual survey which looked at the number of defects and scale of resurfacing, insisting “we know we are ‘holding’ the network.”

He added: “If there is a gap (in public satisfaction), it’s being influenced by something we aren’t in control of, and we need to work out why.

“Our contractor believes our highways operation is one of the best, so we’ve really got to get under the skin of this satisfaction issue - it’s a monkey on my back.”

Coun Vickery said: “Surely the reason is not difficult to fathom - it’s because road surfaces are poor and uneven.”

Mr Hobbs said that was “not the case”, adding “I don’t know if people’s perceptions are being influenced by the media”, before insisting he’s had council leaders in other parts of the UK say “why can’t our roads be like yours.”

Coun Vickery said: “I suggest your officers hire a bicycle, ride around Worcestershire and then tell us what you think.”

Coun Alistair Adams said: “Every single resident can point to a pothole somewhere, I can assure you.”

Mr Hobbs said defects were sorted out “as and when they are reported”, adding “people have got to tell us about it”.

The roads questions were answered by 2,280 people across the county, and will be used to form future council spending plans.

As your Worcester News revealed in May, £3m has just been spent on repairing more than 100 miles of roads in the county.

After the winter, highways chiefs said they were filling in 200 potholes a day just to keep up.

WHAT THE DRIVERS SAY....

BRUCE Steatham, 69, of Littleworth, near Worcester, was one of several drivers to damage his car over a notorious pothole in Church Lane, Norton.

Last December he was lumbered with a £60 bill after going over it and damaging a tyre.

“If you ask anyone, they’ll tell you there are some pretty bad roads in Worcestershire - it’s always been like this,” he said.

“Some areas seem to be looked after, like central Worcester, but it’s people like us who suffer.

“No road can ever be perfect, so I have some sympathy with the council. But I’d like to see it much better.”

Last Christmas it was dubbed ‘the £165 pothole’ after at least three drivers reported damaging their vehicles on it.

The county council has £3.2m of Government funding between now and 2015 for the roads, and say it is now the second biggest priority after social care.