TEMPORARY fixes to potholes in St Albans are driving some residents round the bend with frustration.

Anger surfaced when residents in Cottonmill Lane and Camlet Way watched as workers from Herts Highways appeared to pour Tarmac into just some of the holes which have blighted their roads for some time.

Guido Sergio Ziviani said there had not been any proper repairs on Camlet Way for almost two decades but the most recent effort was nothing but a “waste of money”.

He said: “What was carried out was of extremely poor quality and a great number of the holes were not even touched. There is not much money available these days and I don’t understand why we have to pay for such poor workmanship?

Jack Hill, of Riverside Close, said he had seen the same attempts on Cottonmill Lane where he claimed there had been a line of shallow potholes for some time. Such is the damage to the road surface, Mr Hill says driving along there is quite disconcerting because of the ruts that have appeared on the surface.

He went on: “When two vehicles are coming along there, both sets of wheels end up in the ruts and so one experiences a sideways wobble.”

Mr Hill said that attempts to fill the potholes recently looked like an “ad-hoc project” and that he was now pushing Herts Highways to give him an explanation about the issue.

But a spokesperson for the county council said they were just temporary measures and that Cottonmill Lane would now be inspected to identify what further work was needed. Camlet Way had already been inspected and options were currently being considered.

n The county council have been praised for their work on potholes in a government review.

The Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) Pothole Review highlights the council as a best practice example when dealing with potholes.

Rob Smith, assistant director of transport management said maintaining the 3,000 miles of roads and pavements across the county was of utmost importance to the council.

He went on: “We are pleased to have our work highlighted by the government. This is a testament to the extensive work we carry out to maintain and protect roads to help prevent potholes from forming in the first place.

“Our roads – like roads all around the country – were seriously damaged by a series of harsh winters. By carrying out more permanent repairs and early intervention to the roads, we are now able to reduce the likelihood of potholes appearing which maintains the road surface for longer.”

Between April 2011 and March 2012, 14,570 potholes were reported by the public or through regular inspections by engineers. This year there has been a fall of over 8,200 reports made during the same period in 2010/11 – saving over �1.8 million.