A SENIOR councillor has launched a withering attack on highways bosses and the way they are mending potholed roads around Canterbury.

Lib Dem group leader Alex Perkins says the repairs carried out in his Wincheap ward in recent weeks are already starting to fall apart.

Holes and cracks have already appeared in roads such as Oxford Road, Guildford Road and Cambridge Road. One of the largest holes has appeared outside Cafe Solo on the A28.

Cllr Perkins told the Kentish Gazette this week: “It’s more than four inches deep and it’s making cars swerve into traffic coming the other way. It’s looking like a chasm.”

Responsibility for maintaining the roads lies with Conservative-controlled Kent County Council. It has sent out tarmac gangs across the county to fix roads, many of which were damaged during the cold spell in December.

But Cllr Perkins describes the repairs as of low quality.

He said: “They are already crumbling and have a patchwork look about them.

“If they are going to repair the roads they should do the whole thing instead of just bits and pieces of it. I’m afraid this is like using a plaster on a broken a leg.

“One of the other main problems is that they are not coming back to inspect the work after it’s been done.

“If they are not going to do it properly, then they should give us the money and let us do it. At least because we are in the area, we would check that work is being done properly.

“The only ones who are really doing well out of this are the contractors.”

One of the road repairs singled out for criticism by the Liberal Democrat is in Cogan’s Terrace, Wincheap. “It’s just falling apart,” he said. “The road surface is knackered and this is not just happening here, it’s happening right across the district.”

Kent County Council insists it is prepared for a “pothole blitz” this year. Earlier this month it sent out 60 tarmac crews as part of a £1 million drive to fix roads.

Paul Carter, the leader of KCC, said: “We know snow and ice cause damage to the roads and we are absolutely determined to fix the potholes that the recent freezing temperatures have created. We are getting in first-class, specialist firms to tackle this head-on. They will aim to make a permanent fix first time where they can.

“We are investing this money wisely now to reduce what would be a bigger bill further down the road and to minimise the problems potholes can cause for drivers in Kent.”

KCC says another repair campaign is planned for the summer when it aims to mirror its 'find and fix’ campaign which ended in October after 31,000 potholes were filled in.

Mr Carter added: “In early spring we will take stock of how much damage has been caused by the harsh weather with a view to running a similar campaign again this year.”