RESIDENTS have hit out at repairs completed in their street, with claims a "botch job" had left it looking like speed bumps had been added.

After years of reporting potholes, residents of Hill View Close, Rowhedge, were delighted to hear repairs had been planned.

However, their glee was short-lived once they saw the road after works had been completed.

Resident Mary Hynes said: "I've lived here 54 years and I have seen the road repaired before but this time it has been by far the worst.

"Within days the top layer was sinking and coming off in parts, especially at the bottom of the hill.

"It's not solid and its being lifted up on the wheels of cars and shoes of pedestrians.

"We are also getting big puddles that never used to appear."

Ward councillor Mike Lilley (Lab, Old heath and Hythe) labelled the repairs "another botch-job" and joked "I didn't know we had asked for speed bumps".

He added: "After waiting all these years this is all we get.

"There are footprints from the workers, as well as bits of tar all over the place. It would be interesting to know how much this all cost."

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Lee Scordis (Lab, Old Heath and Hythe) added: "It is disappointing that with Highways it is always hit or miss.

"They can do a great job like they have done on Military Road or you get this mess.

"Only in March my group raised the issue of botch-jobs like this and whether anyone at Highways investigated them.

"They don't and sadly our suggestion to investigate this was voted down."

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said Hill View Close was treated with a microsurfacing patching treatment designed to provide a long-term solution in roads where asphalt was detaching.

They added: “We have now worked on many more roads to refine our approach and intend to use the technique more widely.

“Hill View Close does now need some further work, particularly with sealing joints where the concrete sections have moved apart.

"We are aware of a long-standing drainage issue at one end which needs a more complex solution, following which we should be able to complete the microsurfacing patching work.”