Pothole problems seem to be going from bad to worse in and around Ormskirk.

And the Borough Council is now simply placing cones in the worse ones in a bid to warn drivers literally to ‘steer clear’...

There was almost a bad accident on Scarth Hill Lane yesterday morning near its junction with New Lane which since being highlighted on QLocal last week (http://ormskirk.qlocal.co.uk/ormskir...s-55028102.htm) has got its own cone.

This comment from local cyclist ‘Carbon’ on his take on the problem: 'County councillor John Fillis quite rightly points out the nonsense that is being proposed by the Tories to further delay and slow down repairing our roads (http://ormskirk.qlocal.co.uk/ormskir...m-55027965.htm). However John's own performance during his watch as highways committee chairman was equally as lamentable.

During his time he perpetuated the continual demise of Lancashire’s roads. He led the introduction of a minimum 40mm intervention depth. I requested of copy of the evidence that shows how a cyclist can safely ride in and out of such a defect. After 2 years of continued emails and some promises of a response I am still waiting for the evidence. The reality is that it does not exist. It’s just an arbitrary value based on saving money. The end result is that the counties roads can now be littered with 40mm or less defects and they won’t be repaired.

Both John Fillis and the current incumbent Keith Iddon trumpet how potholes are a safety issue. Unfortunately this is at odds with the county’s pothole repair policy which does not mention safety but instead makes great play of minimising financial claims from the public.

John Fillis made great play of the initiative called TAMP (transport asset management plan) and how it will improve the counties roads. This was yet more smoke and mirrors. In any other industry TAMP is known as preventative maintenance. TAMP has resulted in no tangible improvement as witnessed by the current state of the roads.

The county’s online reporting tool that the public use has been degraded. Potholes are marked “complete” once it has been inspected. They no longer add comments against the pothole so you can no longer track a potholes status even though the website says you can – no you can’t! - and unless you email the help desk and specifically request an update you’re left in the dark.

The quality of repairs is poor at best. Most repairs only last weeks. A trip down Pool Hey Lane, Scarisbrick illustrates this perfectly. For three years the same potholes have been repaired constantly. There must be over 100 patches in just a few hundred yards. The latest patches laid before Christmas are now crumbling. I despair how poorly my taxes are spent.

The bottom line is that the tarmac on the county's roads is continually lifting due to a lack of resurfacing going back long before the era of austerity. The council are now reaping what they sowed.

The Tories and Labour argue and points score with each other about how best to fix the problem but it’s a bit like arguing about how best to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic.'