MADAM – At last the Highways Authority must be congratulated for their success in their grow-your-own-pothole competition. It has now been enthusiastically embraced county-wide and is rumoured to be expanded nationwide. I can hardly wait.

But the way they have co-operated with the local authority is an example to us all.

One example, nose to tail parking from the Black Boy school to Stone Manor with the occasional oasis of a gap on the opposite side of the road. Then sprinkle the available road surface with the Highways Authority’s latest craze of potholes, add the pointless speed bumps and you have the makings of a ride through hell.

On a good day the courtesy of other drivers makes it possible to complete the journey relatively stress free, on other occasions you will find mindless parking opposite the only gap for tens of metres or encounter a kamikaze driver bombing down the road ignoring the gaps to pull in and expecting oncoming traffic to levitate to allow them a clear run.

I refer of course to Middle Street and the Bisley Road but I do not doubt that what I have said will be echoed and experienced by many more of your readers in and around Stroud.

Will this sorry state ever be addressed as it can only get worse till we end up in total gridlock.

Francis Ray

Stroud