A resident in Wokingham has recently come forward to raise awareness for the 'shocking' state of the town's roads. 

Alex Granovsky, 43, who has lived in Wokingham for a number of years said despite the council claiming that they put a great deal of time and money into resurfacing he feels that the quality is terrible. 

"I have witnessed the tarmac melting in the heat which is causing new potholes. Bird feathers are also melting into the roads," Mr Granovsky said. 

"We all feel that this is a waste of taxpayer's money. They are damaging our cars. They may have good intentions but are clearly not hiring proper contractors."

Cllr Paul Fishwick has responded to this claim, thanking residents for working with the council as they undertake this year’s road maintenance program.

He said "Our top priority is keeping residents safe, so we continually inspect roads and footways and as part of our annual road maintenance program, we resurface or treat the roads that need attention the most.

“Like all local authorities, we face financial challenges to protect vital services and keep all residents safe and well. We get less Government funding per resident than any other unitary authority, and about £30 million per year below average overall."

Mr Granovsky said that he feels that the work being done is not going to deal with the road issues long-term, and that it is purely aesthetic. 

He said that the tarmacking has caused a lot of uneven bumps. He uses the roads often and finds it particularly difficult when having to pick up his son from school.

"The situation went from bad to just horrible. There was only a number of holes and now there are so many," he said. 

Mr Granovsky mentioned that he feels that Finchampstead road between the Nine-mile roundabout and the War memorial is currently in the most horrible way.

He said "It looks like it has been bombed like after an air raid."

Cllr Paul Fishwick continued “To make best use of our limited resources, we've had no choice but to resurface fewer roads so we can extend the life of more roads in other ways.

“Alternative, cost-effective and preventative treatments like surface dressing and asphalt preservation, which are used across many local authorities, can protect the road surface and keep it safe for longer. They're also better for the environment as they use less carbon than resurfacing.

“Surface dressing, which we've used on 82 roads this year, can extend the life of the road surface by up to 10 years. It adds protection to the carriageway, seals it from water and improves its skid resistance, while maintaining a safe network."

He went on to say that all sites are inspected to ensure the works are carried out to the required standard and these works are protected by a one-year warranty with our contractors.