HIGHWAYS bosses are unable to repair a hole in a wall on a busy road... because there are already too many roadworks taking place in Colchester.

Colchester Council’s infrastructure boss Martin Goss (Lib Dem, Mile End) requested repairs be made to a section of wall in Balkerne Hill.

However, Essex Highways said it is unable to complete the work due to the multi-million pound revamp of the Ipswich Road and Harwich Road roundabouts, as well as other planned and ongoing schemes across the town.

The controversial remodelling is not set to finish until the end of next year, meaning the Balkerne Hill wall could not be repaired until 2021.

Mr Goss said: “I understand they do not want to cause more congestion but they could do it overnight when it is quiet.

“It looks rubbish as it is in the middle of the wall just where St Mary’s car park is.

“It really is not good enough and we need something to be done. It brings down the whole area.

“We need them to step up and get it repaired quickly.

“We are the second highest paying council tax providers in the county and we pay a significant sum into the pot each year.”

A car is believed to have crashed into the wall several months ago, causing considerable damage to the brickwork.

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: “We are aware of the issue with the retaining wall. To make a repair in what is quite an inaccessible area, we will need to temporarily close a lane to traffic in an already traffic-sensitive area.

“Given other planned and current works being undertaken in Colchester we are giving careful consideration to the scheduling and likely length of the works required, to minimise disruption to road users.

“In the meantime we will continue to monitor the condition of the wall with regular inspections.”