THE leader of the Liberal Democrats in Basingstoke has accused Hampshire County Council of “papering over the cracks” when it comes to road maintenance ahead of the county elections.

With the county council elections taking place on May 4, Councillor Gavin James said he has noticed a lot more white markings appearing around potholes which had been unattended for several months.

The Lib Dem leader acknowledges that there is an investment from the Conservative administration, but with the current funds available it would allegedly take an average of 12 years and £12 billion to bring roads in Basingstoke and Deane up to scratch.

The 2017 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey found that nearly 20 per cent of roads are in “poor” condition, something which Cllr James believes is a safety concern.

He said: “Evidence for this can be seen right across Basingstoke.

“A motorbike rider recently almost came off his bike at Eastrop roundabout just in front of my car.

“The problem is a deep hole around an inspection cover. The biker was lucky, but next time, who knows?”

Cllr James claims that there are potholes in nearly all the residential areas around the borough, some of which have been there for over six months.

A spokesman for HCC said: “Once a pothole is reported, it is inspected and action is taken accordingly, on a priority basis.

“An emergency repair will be made within two hours. HCC takes an asset management approach in looking after Hampshire’s roads to make them more resilient to extreme weather and heavy traffic. We have planned maintenance based on the longterm structure of the road which is more cost effective.”

What is the worst road in Basingstoke for potholes? Email your views to newsdesk@basingstokegazette.co.uk.