AROUND 100kms of Gloucestershire’s crumbling roads are to be resurfaced as part a £2.2 million programme.

More than 30 roads will be resurfaced in two phases over the summer by Gloucestershire County Council (GCC).

The news will be welcomed by many in the Stroud area, where poorly maintained surfaces have caused several accidents over recent months, as reported in the SNJ.

Just this week, Nailsworth resident Howard Price, 61, contacted the paper after suffering a sprained ankle caused by tripping over a foot-long pothole.

Property maintenance worker Mr Price was unable to walk or work for several days following the incident, which happened on the A46 Bath Road, 10 metres from his home.

He criticised highways contractor Amey, which maintains roads for GCC, saying the state of surfaces was ‘appalling’.

“How deep does a pothole have to be for Amey to take it seriously?” asked Mr Price, who has lived in the town for more than 30 years.

“It’s absolutely outrageous.”

Mr Price was crossing the A46 on his way back from shopping at the time of the incident on Monday, June 15.

“My ankle gave way and I fell flat on my face,” he said.

“It was early evening so the traffic on the road was quite busy, luckily I was in no danger of being hit, and many of the motorists stopped to check I was alright.

“My hands and knees were grazed and my ankle was purple and badly swollen.

“I was unable to walk properly for a couple of days – which meant I wasn’t able to work as well.”

He said there were several potholes on the road, that had been there for a number of weeks.

“This is just not something you expect to happen 10 metres from your front door,” he added.

“I’ve lived in Nailsworth for three decades and I can certainly say this is the worst I’ve seen the pothole situation.

“Unfortunately I fear that with continued cuts to services and local government the problem is only going to get worse.”

A spokesman for Amey said that after being contacted by Mr Price a safety inspector attended site on June 17, and assessed that it needed repair.

He said the pothole was fully repaired on June 18.

As part of Gloucestershire County Council’s summer program, Selsley Road in King’s Stanley and Bath Road in Frocester will be among 32 roads to be resurfaced in the coming months.

The first phase of 17 schemes will start this month and continue throughout July.

The second phase, which includes the remaining 15 schemes, will be scheduled for later this summer.

The list of sites and weekly programmes will be posted on the council’s website at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/sur facedressing