Tiverton's roads 'like Beirut' (From Mid Devon Star)

Tiverton's roads 'like Beirut'

7:00am Friday 19th March 2010

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MANY roads in Tiverton are so potholed, they are ‘more like those in Baghdad or Beirut’ – a former town Mayor claimed this week.

Tiverton town and Mid Devon district councillor Kevin Wilson claims the bad winter and an ‘inadequate’ response from the county council has left ‘hardly a road unaffected'.

He is calling on members of Devon County Council, which is responsible for highways, to explain why the town’s roads – in particular Pinnex Moor Road – are so badly affected.

Cllr Wilson joined other members of Tiverton Town Council in inviting the man responsible for highways and transportation at the county council, Cllr Stuart Hughes, to attend its annual meeting next Monday.

But Cllr Hughes has another meeting to attend on that day and a highways engineer is due to answer questions in his place.

LibDem Cllr Wilson said this week: “This is just not good enough.

“Tiverton’s roads are in a dreadful state as a direct result of budget cuts and the people of the town deserve an explanation of the county council’s policy from an elected member.

“If not Cllr Hughes, then someone else.

“The town’s roads are more like Baghdad or Beirut than something in Devon.”

A county council spokesman said: “This is not a question of Cllr Hughes ducking the meeting.

“He has already been called to an emergency meeting of Sidmouth Town Council which he is obliged to attend.

“Since the Conservative administration came into power at County Hall last June, millions of pounds has been spent on repairs to roads across the county.

“In Tiverton alone, in this new fi-nancial year, the council has allocated over £285,800 for repairs to highways and footways of which £59,000 is being spent in Pinnex Moor Road.”

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