I WAS surprised to find four men and a lorry on the A 81 laying down even more rumble strips on the approach to a bend on this road last week.

There are numerous potholes on this road which I had just tried to avoid.

Then I was confronted by this team of men wasting time and my money on these strips.

These are are unnecessary at a time when budgets are under great pressure.

The same men would make up two teams of two men to repair the potholes in Stirlingshire.

I wrote to Stirling Council last year about this.

I had a reply from a faceless official.

The letter highlighed health and safety policies and stating that the local authority would continue to address traffic hazards. Potholes should surely be a priority in the cause of road safety.

Robert Hunter,

The Lochans, Gartmore, Stirlingshire.

WITH the growing backlog in pothole repair work, is it not time to start charging utility companies for each day of disruption (“Roads cash cut despite £1.2 billion backlog in repair work”, The Herald, February 13)? Also, to monitor their work to make sure repairs are properly re-surfaced?

When I was involved in this sector more than 50 per cent of pothole work was thought to arise from the utilities’ “temporary repairs”.

Councils need also to monitor closely the utilities’ work.

If they can get away with the one temporary repair they will be laughing all the way to the bank.

They need to be chased up to do the second “proper repair”.

Too many temporary “repairs” are left and, within a short period, we have another pothole. And a £1.2bn backlog!

Dave Sutton,

9 Douglas Gate,

Cambuslang, Glasgow.

DRIVING around this winter, one would think that the various cash-strapped councils could be forgiven for the mindset, “if you can’t beat them, join them,” and are in competition for the worst potholes.

I suggest that RMSAG, the Road Maintenance Strategic Action Group, more realistically refers to “rutted, moonscape, stony, axle-breaking, and god-awful.”

Though you’re tired and weary, still journey on ...

R Russell Smith,

96 Milton Road,

Kilbirnie.