IT IS no surprise that pavement repair costs have risen so dramatically (Monday’s Oxford Mail), considering the inadequate repairs.

In the area covered by the article, three attempts have been made to make repairs, all carried out as quick fixes which do not last more than a few days.

There are two reasons why money is wasted in this way.

Firstly the council never seems to use realistic time and motion studies of work required, and secondly, employing unskilled workers, often from other countries, due to the abandonment of apprenticeships.

This decline will worsen, as before long, skilled labour will be lost, as there will be no suitably qualified workers to pass on the skills of previous years.

The council needs to tackle the roots of the problem, not blame the weather or careless parking of lorries.

My company’s motto through life was, ‘it is no harder to do things right’.

ADRIAN TAYLOR, Thames Court, Eynsham