The poor quality of road surfaces in this country is frequently discussed in your column. Many factors are blamed, but in my experience the surfaces of roads in towns are in a dreadful state almost entirely because the have been dug up and poorly repaired by utility companies. I have been driving the same route to work across Swansea for almost 20 years, and time and again I have seen recently resurfaced roads dug up and left looking in a mess. As well as providing an uneven surface for driving, it makes the whole area look scruffy. The utility companies responsible are all large profitable corporations, surely they should contribute to the cost of resurfacing the whole road properly and not just filling in the trench they have just made? Do you know what happens in other countries?