Frustrated drivers vent over A153 delays

The road runs from Sleaford to Louth and is seen as one of the county’s major North/South routes. However, drivers claim there have been as many as six different sets of roadworks - all controlled by temporary traffic lights. Georgia Burrows, a freelance journalist, commutes between Sleaford and Louth and said her journey time had increased by up to 45 minutes. She said the worse delays were in Tattershall. She was backed by care worker Anna Prutton who described the A153 as a ‘nightmare’. She said: “We’re used to the delays in Horncastle but now all the (temporary) traffic lights have made it even worse. “I appreciate repairs have to be done, but why all at the same time? To add to delays last Wednesday, contractors completed long-awaited repairs to a damaged gully on the A158, close to the junction with the A153 in Horncastle. At the same time, the contractors investigated reports of a collapsed drain in the adjacent Bull Ring. Temporary lights controlled the busy junction of the A153 and A158 and that led to additional tailbacks, in all directions. Lincolnshire County Council and utility companies involved in the various works have apologised for the delays and stress the repairs are vital. However, drivers have continued to complain. Mark Talbot said: “I drive from Horncastle to Louth three or four times a day and I’m struggling to remember the last time there weren’t any temporary lights. “Last week, there was a set between Horncastle and West Ashby and then other in West Ashby itself. “It’s been going on for months now. They keep digging up the road, only for another gang of workers to come along a few weeks later and do the same. It’s got beyond a joke.” Stephen Thompson said the works only added to what he described as ‘the appalling state’ of roads in Lincolnshire. He added: “We pay our council taxes and our road tax but where is the money going? “It wouldn’t be so bad if the repairs were carried out properly but we have all seen the council sling a shovelful of tarmac into a hole, pat it down, and then drive off. A week later, they wonder why the hole has opened up again. “A garage owner I know is the only one smiling because they are repairing so many cars damaged by bad roads The county council has pledged £600,000 for road improvement programme in Horncastle - including Boston Road. Ominously, that work could lead temporary traffic lights. Only last week, Coun Patricia Bradwell, deputy leader of the County Council, was involved in an heated exchange with parish councillors about the ‘appalling state’ of roads in Woodhall Spa (see page 10).