RESIDENTS of Ross-on-Wye have voiced their concerns that the town could lose out on funding to get its pothole issues fixed.

Dai Harries told the annual meeting of Ross Town Council that last month Hereford had been declared the ‘Pothole capital of England’ and shortly after this £200million was allocated by the Government to Herefordshire Council for transport infrastructure.

Mr Harries said: “I immediately wrote to Jesse Norman MP and told him that I hoped that not all of this was going to be spent on the Hereford relief road so the city could relieve itself of its new tag.

“I invited him to visit Archenfield Road as visitors to the town often say that this road is the worst road surface they have encountered anywhere in the country.”

Mr Norman said in his letter to Mr Harries: “The roads funding pot is now over £200million spread over the next decade. But if properly managed it should also give enough funding for a maintenance strategy which treats local roads as an investment and not just fixing existing potholes.

“Inevitably there is a question as to whether Herefordshire Council will be able to use this money effectively. However we will all need to make sure they do.”

Mr Harries continued: “The town council needs to assert all the pressure it can to make sure we get our fair share of any funding. Its not just Archenfield Road that’s affected, there are numerous other pothole hotspots in the area.”

Mayor, Cllr Louis Stark said: “We’ve been neglected in Ross. We’ve had some minor victories in the past, but we seem to be overlooked when it comes to major issues when it comes to road surfacing issues.”

James Weatherhead asked: “Surely the time has come for this town council and the county councillors to lobby the relevant bodies to get the pothole issue resolved in Ross. There are potholes all over Ross.

“If we want to maintain the status of being a tourist town, we need to make the Herefordshire council fix the potholes. Without this we will not be able to encourage people to come to Ross.”

• Road repairs query, see page 7.