“UNSAFE and atrocious” potholes are putting drivers at risk, Basildon’s Labour leader has claimed.

Councillor Maryam Yaqub is taking Essex County Council to task over the issue, which she believes shows the Conservative run authority “think they can ignore the residents of Basildon and take us for granted”.

Ms Yaqub has highlighted three especially egregious potholes at High Road junction with Rectory Park Drive, the Eastmayne and Paycocke Road roundabout, and the Broadmayne and Ghyllgrove junction.

Councillor Maryam Yaqub, leader of Basildon Labour group, said: “It is so unsafe, people are constantly swerving on those roads to avoid damaging their vehicles.

“Whether they end up in one of those potholes, or whether they manage to avoid them, both of those scenarios are extremely dangerous.

“There is a clear sentiment that whenever something is done, it is patch up work, only for it to fall back to the same condition a few months later.”

Google Maps photos from November 2020 show the pothole in Rectory Park Drive has been a long-standing issue.

Echo: Long-standing issue - Rectory Park Drive pothole in 2020Long-standing issue - Rectory Park Drive pothole in 2020

Ms Yaqub’s photo from last week shows the pothole has reformed, despite attempts to fix it over the last two years.

The St Martin’s Ward councillor says the pothole is so bad, it has damaged residents’ vehicles.

“We just want Essex County Council to pay attention to this. These potholes have been reported several times by myself and residents but nothing has been done,” she said.

“It makes everyone feel there is not enough investment and not enough care given to the people of Basildon.

An Essex Highways Spokesperson said: “When a defect is reported to us, we send an inspector out. The defect is then recorded on our risk register and given a risk factor score as described on our website. We have to prioritise our work and fix the higher-risk issues first.

"Essex County Council's highways team have already raised defects at the locations provided and they will be handled in line with our maintenance strategy. These roads are regularly inspected and if any of the defects deteriorate further, then they will be prioritised accordingly.”