A few years ago, I wrote deploring the state of our road maintenance standards.

It was met with contempt, or so it appeared, however with the passage of time I have been proved correct.

The roads of Southampton are those of the third world, dangerous and neglected, and can only get worse, unless the council get their act together.

If I were to be the contractor for a large company, my work would be over looked by a “clerk of the works” who would state in no uncertain terms the action to take to correct my perceived inadequate work.

However, in Southampton bad workmanship is ignored, to the extent that after a suitable time scale the contractor simply repeats the repair, and gets paid for it - and guess what - after a few months it often has to be repaired again, and again.

Shirley High Street at the junction of Regents Park Road is a prime example!

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Your readers may well ask: “What does he know of the situation?”

For several years as a member of the council, I served as the chairman of public works, the water committee and also of the planning committee! And in private life for a time I was the manager of a contracting company - employed on similar work to that of which I now complain!

My message is clear: get rid of contractors and return to the days when we employed our own staff whom had nothing to gain from inadequate and often careless work!

Alan Reynard

Southampton