This afternoon I phoned Hampshire County Council highways department to report a drainage issue in our road.

I received a recorded message saying that because of the Coronavirus they could no longer provide a telephone answering service - why?.

It is now late August yet our county council deem it acceptable to hide behind the virus to claim they cannot organise themselves to answer telephone enquiries.

It sums up so much that is now wrong and being blamed on the virus.

Supermarkets can still provide food and essentials but our local authority that is funded by taxpayers cannot even organise themselves to answer phones months after the worst of the virus has passed.

I suspect if their livelihoods were dependent on providing a service they would actually provide a service, but since they get paid by the taxpayer providing a service is the last thing they seem to want to do.

Gerald Ingram

Locks Heath