MADAM, How delighted I am to see that the Ross Gazette has seen fit to highlight the pot-holed, patched and generally-dilapidated state of our local roads.

They have gone beyond being a thorough disgrace and have now become a serious hazard, especially to cyclists and motorcyclists. One dreads to think how much damage all those potholes are doing to tyres, wheels and suspension systems as cars lurch unsteadily from one crater to the next.

The A40 as it runs through the village of Lea is a prime example of what I mean. Sections of it are like the craters on the moon and the only way of dealing with the damage now is by resurfacing; not by further patching.

While Herefordshire Council will doubtless argue that it is chronically short of cash to invest in highways in an age of austerity, a poorly-maintained infrastructure is unlikely to tempt businesses to migrate to the county and create jobs. The shortcomings of the road network - and of the county's underfunded flood defences - will have to be addressed if Herefordshire is to prosper; and they should most certainly be addressed before any more housing schemes are sanctioned.

Steve Banner, Lea