WITH reports of pothole repair costs going to be around £9 billion and David Cameron and company claiming there are no funds to meet the repairs on this scale, surely the Government is allowing our infrastructure to deteriorate as it can find £33 billion for the unnecessary HS2 trains.

As usual, it is looking to score points with headline-making expenditure rather than keep what we already have in a good state of repair. The escalating pothole repair costs are due to lack of maintenance over the last 20 years or so. Like the old saying: ‘Penny wise, pound foolish’.

Failing to do repairs now will undoubtedly cause so many claims for vehicle damage and if left, will quadruple repair costs in a short time.

The county repairs done so far are already breaking up as they are not done properly (a quick fix). Also, it appears a pothole repair is a lottery.

On the A40 between Oxford and Cassington I noticed a repair but six inches away another deep hole had been left open.

Does the Highways Department ignore advice from the tarmacadam laboratories that the way the county carries out repairs is totally inadequate?

The repairs need hot liquid tar poured around the edges of the junction between old and new material to stop the repaired edges from crumbling with the constant pressure from passing vehicles.

ADRIAN TAYLOR Duncan Close Eynsham