LEOMINSTER'S Green councillors have called on the leader of the council to take urgent action to address the town's 'collapsing road system'.

Councillors Felicity Norman, Jenny Bartlett and Trish Marsh wrote a letter to Councillor Tony Johnson to express their 'great concern' about the dangerous condition of disintegrating roads in the town.

It was an issue which had also been raised by residents in the Leominster South ward while the Greens campaigned there ahead of the by-election, won by Cllr Marsh.

The group said in its letter: "The dangers on Leominster’s roads increase daily. Some drivers are swerving to avoid the worst potholes, vehicles are shaken and damaged and cyclists use certain roads at their peril. Shoppers in the town centre are soaked by traffic going through deep puddles.

"It has not gone unnoticed by the people of Leominster that millions of pounds are being spent on infrastructure in Hereford – such as the new link road across the city and High Town repaving – while Leominster’s roads go unrepaired.

"Councillor Johnson we call on you and your administration to take urgent action on our collapsing road system which threatens the safety of residents and, also, to levy financial penalties on contractors when road repairs are done badly and do not last.

"We raise this with you personally as a matter of urgency. As the leader of Herefordshire Council you must be held responsible for the risk to public safety caused by Leominster’s ruts and pot holes and the cost of repairs to damaged vehicles."

Specific roads of concern, they say, are Ryelands Road, parts of Ivington Road and part of Dishley Street – although there are a number of problem areas.

They added that they would be bringing the matter to the attention of the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion due to the public safety issue.

Responding to the complaint, Cllr Johnson said he had asked the highways service to set out the options for the future resourcing of road maintenance to secure improved asset condition over its whole life.

"It is this further investment that can enable us to deliver improved road conditions across the county," he said.

"The team has adopted best practice and are thinking creatively with a view to securing as much investment as they can in our county’s roads. It is only through sustained investment that we will be able to, over time, maintain condition levels across the 2,000 miles of road (and 750+ bridges, 30,000+ road gullies etc) that we are responsible for.

"We have a strategy which is set out in the Local Transport Plan under the heading of asset management. That plan is adaptable and will deliver over time, but only if we invest in it and that is what this administration intends to do."