ANGRY motorists say Basildon’s roads and have become a “minefield” of potholes and defects as they call for investment into the borough’s highways.

One such fed-up resident, Matthew Wright, 28, a Labour Wickford town councillor, has taken it upon himself to document some of the worst roads in the area.

He has taken series of photographs illustrating the depth of the issue faced by drivers.

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

The 28-year-old said: “Driving in Basildon is horrendous, it’s worse than a minefield on the roads.

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

“Almost every part of the borough, apart from Billericay, is just awful. If we don’t fight the issue and flag where the problems are they are just going to be left in a state of disrepair.

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

“And its not only the roads, some of the pavements are completely shocking and are a danger to elderly residents who could trip and hurt themselves."

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

The training consultant, who travels the county for work, says he believes Basildon has the worst roads in Essex.

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

“It is so much worse here and it feels as if our roads have gone forgotten,” he said.

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

He added it felt as if Basildon’s roads did not get a “fair proportion” of ECC funding.

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

Geoff Pierce, 47, of Vange, says he fears for his car when driving through the borough.

Echo: Image: Matthew WrightImage: Matthew Wright (Image: Image: Matthew Wright)

“The craters in the road are so large I am almost swerving all other the road to dodge them but if I hit one, it could end up costing thousands in repairs,” he said.

“It feels like we have been complaining about these problems forever. It’s just not good enough."

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “We looks after 5,000 miles of roads, the equivalent of travelling overland from Chelmsford to Beijing. It is one of the largest road networks in the country, with a mix of urban and rural roads, which each bring their own challenges.

“When a defect is reported to us, we send an inspector out. The defect is then recorded on our risk register and given a risk factor score as described on our website. Due to our limited resources, we must prioritise our work and fix the higher-risk issues first.”