The authorities lose no time in screwing as much money out of the motorist as they can at every opportunity, with road tax, fuel duty, insurance, tax and parking charges.

But they are increasingly shirking their responsibilities to motorists by failing to keep roads in a safe condition.

At Wickford, on the town’s ring road inappropriately named Golden Jubilee Way, we no longer have potholes.

The road has been neglected for so long we now have two distinct bomb craters.

They are very deep and about 6ft by 5ft in area and very close to each other. If you manage to miss one, you are bound to hit the other.

These craters are not only dangerous and damaging to cars and lorries, they are even more of a threat to motorcyclists.

The danger increases many times in wet weather, when the size and depth of the craters is hidden and, of course, when it is dark.

The expression an accident waiting to happen certainly applies in this case and it is appalling neglect on the part of the highway authorities that the situation has been allowed to develop.

Alan Davison
Lower Lambricks
Rayleigh