MORE THAN 1,200 motorists fed up with the state of the district's roads have called on the council to act.

A petition launched last week urging Essex County Council (ECC) to fix potholes in Epping Forest has found many backers tired of weaving down damaged roads.

Funding for pothole has dropped dramatically in recent years, with ECC spending £19.613m in 2014/15 and just £5.014m in 2016/17.

The £15m investment dip has not gone unnoticed by drivers such as Adam Rix, whose car has been damaged three times while driving around Epping Forest in 2018.

He said: "In the last few months I have paid for two new windscreens and a puncture repair, all because of the pot holes in this area.

"My two small cars are gradually degrading because of the poor quality of the roads around here, specifically Bury Road and Chambers Manor Hall Road.

"The UK is the fifth largest industrialised economy on the planet. We invented tarmac.

"I live less than 20 miles as the crow flies to the City of London where the roads do not have these issues. This is a wealthy area with a wealthy council running the show.

"My Council Tax is really expensive and just went up by five per cent - so why is it that a few simple road repairs take so long to execute, and when they are done, its all too often a temporary measure that fails after two or three months?"

Although ECC did not respond to a request for comment regarding the petition or Mr Rix's plight by the time of publication, cabinet member for highways, Councillor Ian Grundy, last month argued the pothole issue was getting better.

He said: “Just two per cent of the county’s A roads now require maintenance, compared to six per cent eight years ago, while the number of B and C roads needing work stands at two per cent, down from eight per cent in the same period.

“We know we have more work to do on potholes, which have multiplied because of the recent snow and very harsh winter weather.

“But our surfacing programme, combined with an extra £3 million investment for pothole repairs, should see considerable improvement over the coming months.

“I would just ask that road users be as patient as possible while we undertake this essential work.”