THE deteriorating state of Alton's roads has driven one local resident to take matters into her own hands by launching a petition demanding action.

Ann Reynolds says she is fed up with having "to drive a slalom course through the town to avoid the potholes" and with Hampshire County Council's apparent inability to deal with the situation.

"We pay enough money to the government to be able to put a car on the road, and for that amount I expect to have decent roads," she said.

A resident of Greenfields Avenue, Mrs Reynolds launched her petition at the end of March and, having trudged from door to door around just a small part of Alton, has already amassed more than 500 signatures.

She had tried to enlist the support of the then county councillor, Tony Barron. "He said that the roads weren't that bad, and there was no money for them due to the floods. Two weeks later, it was announced that there was £47,000 to spend on these roads that supposedly weren't a problem," she said.

At last week's meeting of Alton Town Council's planning and transportation committee, Mrs Reynolds told members she had decided to put the petition on hold in April when Mr Barron, had assured the council that gangs of contractors were about to descend on the town and fill the offending potholes. But it had not happened.

The petition reads: "We the undersigned, would like to make an official complaint to Hampshire County Council about the increasing decay of the roads in Hampshire, especially in Alton and the surrounding area".

At the meeting members of the planning committee signed the petition, led by chairman Roger Fitzer. They too were unhappy about the county council's failure to repair the roads.

Councillor Paddy Mendham told colleagues: "We have been fighting for our roads to be dealt with properly for the past two years. They are in an appalling state and we need to keep fighting at every stage to make sure they are repaired properly and not just patched up."

Aware that a great deal of white paint had appeared on the town's roads, presumably outlining areas which needed attention, the fear was that they could be left that way for the foreseeable future.

And it was not just the main roads but the minor roads which were suffering with gaping holes making it a nightmare for vehicles, motorbikes and bicycles to negotiate, they said.

In commending Mrs Reynolds for raising the petition, councillors suggested she handed it over to newly elected county representative, Tony Ludlow. "Perhaps it should be his first job for the town," suggested Mr Fitzer.

This Mrs Reynolds duly did on Monday. In receiving the petition Mr Ludlow told The Herald:

"I am delighted that this is my first official duty, because the state of the roads and pavements was by far the commonest complaint on the doorstep. Congratulations to Ann for collecting such a full petition with over 500 signatures".

In response Mrs Reynolds said: "Of all the hundreds of people I approached, only three thought the roads in Alton were acceptable, saying that the potholes had been marked for repair. What they didn't realise was that those holes had been marked for at least six weeks and still nothing had been done".

Mrs Reynolds believes Crown Hill to be the worst case. "It is an absolute disgrace. These roads are past patching, they need resurfacing. And it isn't just the roads, it is the pavements too."