Roads marked for repair will finally be free of potholes after a lengthy battle with Essex County Council.

Residents and councillors have been pushing for pothole repairs along the B1018 in Cressing and Rickstones Road, in Witham, for months.

Both roads are marked as priority one, but did not necessarily have priority one potholes.

Rickstones Road is provisionally on the repair programme for a full new road surface in July, after preparation works like repairing kerbs and ironworks are hopefully done in June.

Work started on the B1018 in Cressing on May 14, with more extensive works than previously envisaged, and has now been finished.

County and district cllr James Abbott said: “I have been on to county for months about the Cressing bend.

“They did actually come out earlier in the year, but they only filled in some of the holes and left some which were equally as bad.

“The way county is doing this will be subject to a debate at County Hall.

“They seem to spend a lot of time inspecting, but not fixing them, or fixing some but not others. I don’t understand that.

“We will be asking how come it took so long and why they are not working to their own criteria.”

ECC now plans to replace 40 metres of the kerbing on the bend, complete 300 square metres of resurfacing on the bend and carry out improvement work behind the kerb where there is a continuing history of overruns by HGVs mounting the kerb.

HGVs will be warned by signs to stay on A120 and a diversion put in place for these night works.

The diversion route will subsequently be inspected for any damage and reinstated if required.

To report a pothole visit essexhighways.org.