Essex Highways are doing a "managed decline " in maintaining roads, but, surprise surprise, we had our pavements re-tarmaced last year, and 4 nice big potholes in Mill road by the school and doctors surgery repaired.

Wonders never cease.

I suspect that a local councillor (and of the lot in charge) lives nearby or has an election coming up so need to give residents a reason to vote for them and not the other lot.

Happens my way a lot - amazingly also how certain (side) road get the nice proper tarmac on the resurfacing (including pavements) and more often and others get that horrible crinkley black marzipan type stuff or 'sticky' grit cheapo repairs that aren't smooth and often result in quickly broken edges which go down (and block) the gulleys.

One broken gulley in my town apparently only got fixed (it was essentially a big hole in the road) - thanks to publicity from the local rag - when a small child fell into it when the drain below got blocked and they thought it was a puddle to splash in.

Local politics is, in my view, just as corrupt and self-serving as at national level. It's just a matter of scale.

Report a pothole, council reply with "we're really busy we will get to this within 6-8 weeks"

Contact the council and say you've had damage and will be seeking compensation - they've got someone out filling it in within 24 hours.