RESIDENTS in Sandscroft Avenue, Broadway, are the latest Wychavon taxpayers to complain about the poor state of the roads.

The surface they say is peppered with cracks and holes - one is four inches deep and about three feet across - but say that despite complaints no action has been taken.

Since February the Journal has received many similar complaints from all over the Vale including Ab Lench, Church Lench, The Littletons and Four Pools Road in Evesham.

Now every householder in Sandscroft Avenue in Broadway has signed a petition to hand over to the highways department in protest.

Resident Sally Dallard who suffers from MS, said: "We are so angry about the state of our roads - especially since the high rises in our council taxes - we feel we are getting nothing for our money.

"I have a large hole outside my drive and am worried about my own safety as well as my young daughter's. It is also an accident waiting to happen for cyclists."

Pensioner John Spencer said: "The surface broke up sometime ago but repairs were not satisfactory.

Now apart from the holes, debris from the road flies up from passing car tyres causing damage to parked vehicles."

Geoff Cox, head of Wychavon Partnership Highways Unit, admitted that many roads were in poor condition and a backlog of road repairs had built up.

He said: "The prolonged winter rain has been the major cause of deterioration and has been made worse by heavy vehicles.

"The high water table has resulted in the saturation of road foundations leading to the breakdown of the road structure."

He said that he instructed the county contractors to carry out emergency repairs within 24 hours on all potholes that were likely to cause danger.

The chairman of Worcestershire County Council's environment/sustainability policy advisory panel, Bill Hartnett, said: "We have received grants from the Government to pay for highways maintenance.

"The best policy is to have a rolling programme for repairs, but clearly we cannot leave potholes in roads which are considered dangerous."