THE council said it has £300 million worth of road repairs currently backlogged in Herefordshire due to underinvestment.

Last week we reported frustrated cyclists and drivers said roads in Ledbury were in such poor condition it was like "cycling on the moon."

Edd Hogan, who has been riding a bike in the town for years, said: "Riding a bike has become increasingly dangerous and the road surfaces are dangerous for cyclists."

However, Herefordshire Council has tried to reassure road users and said it does carry out regular inspections and frequencies.

A spokesperson said: "Herefordshire has over 2,000 miles of road, and the council works in partnership with Balfour Beatty Living Places who carry out regular inspections and maintenance to the frequencies set in our Highways Maintenance Plan.

"Our plan was developed to comply with the latest best practice guidance and adopts a risk-based assessment approach out of necessity. 

"The risk assessment considers, amongst other things, the location of the defect, its severity and the normal use of the road.

"All known defects are assessed on the basis of risk and repair works are carried out in accordance with the timescales set out in the Plan.

"For the most critical repairs, these are completed by the end of the next working day. "We inspect all A, B, and major C roads monthly.

"The council receives £15m per year from Government to deal with maintenance and improvements, which in real terms is roughly a 33% reduction since 2011.

"Consequently, there are over £300m of works that have been identified but are currently backlogged due to these years of underinvestment."

Mr Hogan said: "I agree with the council, there is not enough money to carry out the repairs and it is only getting worse.

"It is getting more and more difficult to use the roads.

"It will get to a level where more accidents and injuries will take place, especially with cyclists."