After last winters big freeze it was some time before the suspension crunching rash of pot holes around the village was patched up. However with the first snows of this winter it became apparent that for all but those on the Sturmer/Haverhill Road this work was but a temporary fix.With three weeks of snow and ice already behind us and another yet expected already some pot holes are reaching a dangerous depth with some reaching over a foot across. Particularly badly hit for a second year has been West End Lane, which has formed some dangerously large holes at it's narrow northern end and the Westward Deals Estate where parts of the road appear to be cracking up.
Last year it took weeks for many of the holes to be properly fixed. During which time several cars suffered damage to their suspension. This year the same outlook is in prospect even after the snows clear. However this time round we see that Haverhill/Sturmer Road has survived the frost unscathed leading to the question can other parts of the village where the roads are falling apart particularly badly be fully re-surfaced.
The responsibility for the maintenance of the roads lay with Suffolk County Council who have yet to comment on the subject. However Peter Donoghue, the member of the parish council with responsibility for roads and transport said of the Suffolk Highways department "They generally do their best to make speedy repairs wherever there is a danger to travellers, after all, they can be held liable for damage caused; however, with limited budgets the repairs don't usually extend to widespread re-surfacing (I think we were rather fortunate with the re-laying of the Sturmer/Haverhill Road last year)."
Mr Donoghue also confirmed that he has informed Suffolk of the holes and added "Fortunately people seem to be driving very carefully at present, but that may change once the snow and ice disappear."
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