A WAR of words between Harlow Labour and Conservatives has broken out over potholes.

Harlow Labour issued a statement slamming the Essex County Councillor Eddie Johnson, over alleged remarks in a Highways Panel Meeting in Harlow.

Cllr Johnson also happens to be a Harlow councillor for the Conservatives.

A Labour spokesperson said: “”Councillor Eddie Johnson left Labour members of the Harlow Local Highways Panel aghast at their meeting on Wednesday, 6th April when he informed them that the pot holes in Harlow would never receive serious attention because they are just not deep enough.

“He informed the meeting that although they had more resources to deal with potholes across Essex, because the majority of Harlow’s roads are tarmac laid on top of concrete, surface break-up would not satisfy the criteria for repair”.

Cllr Johnson was incensed regarding Labour’s comments and has come out fighting.

He said: “I’m happy to be able to set Labour straight on the inaccuracies in their statement and put them on the right road to a better understanding of our work in Harlow.

“Just under 600 potholes and other road defects were repaired by Essex Highways in Harlow last year. Already this year 7.1 miles of roads in the district have been earmarked for repair.

“Roads in Harlow are mainly concrete with bitumen on the top. Once the thin surface starts to deteriorate, the roads look like they are in a worse condition than they actually are. They continue to be structurally sound. We are currently trying to find the best way to make the roads look pristine again – but it is difficult and requires careful material selection. We don’t want to resurface them only for the same problem to reoccur shortly afterwards.

“Every year we carry out hi-tech scanner surveys of roads across Essex – and the results in Harlow are equal and comparable with other districts.”