Last week, traffic was being held up on one of my local streets because a works barrier had simply been left in the roadway. The works had finished but the crew had abandoned the barrier.  Presumably, someone else was due to come and collect it but had not bothered.

This ought to be big news - barrier stops traffic, but of course it was not, it was just par for the course and something that is being repeated in streets up and down the country. Road mess, unfinished road works, litter, filth and dirty and damaged road signs.

I have said it before and I will say it again, we have two plus million unemployed in this country. Why are they not out there cleaning the signs. All it takes is a brush, a mop and bucket. We have the labour available. The Americans use the State prison population in road gangs, all I am saying is let them do some humble cleaning.

Ironically, we have the 2012 Olympics coming up. Britain is supposed to be looking its best, we have certainl y spent enough money on the project. I recall it started at £2bn and slipped to £12bn. Are we really going to allow all these overseas visitors to come here and see our roads in the state that they are? 

Years ago, we had routine maintenance of our public roads and local councils took care of (and dare I say pride in) the high streets and byways. Then we moved to a policy of repair and mend.  Now we have budget cuts and lots of people employed to explain why there is no money to fill the potholes, clean the streets or make our pavements safe.