AN independent survey shows that Bury has the fourth worst roads in the country (Bury Times, April 30).

Any commercial venture with such a poor performance would soon either go bust, be relegated or have managers looking for re-employment.

So what do we get? Resignation perhaps? Apologies? No chance. From the borough engineer we get an astonishing smoke screen of mumbo-jumbo and technical claptrap with which he tries to tell us that what we can see for ourselves is not true. Can anybody be sacked? Not a hope!

So forget the creation of a new Highway Network Services Team, that is just creating more expensive layers of bureaucracy, and how we came to have two previously separate overlapping units is beyond me!

No, it is quite clear that someone is not up to the job and it is time for some plain speaking councillors to carpet individuals and say either shape up or you are out!

This is what happens in most other occupations. After all what are we paying for?

So, come on Mr Cannon, throw away your deflectograph and coarse visual inspection, get on your bike then you will soon find out what our roads are really like!

We can then look forward to having banners plastered all over the town joyfully proclaiming the fact that we have improved from 4th to 5th.

INVOLUNTARY POTHOLER