THURROCK'S mayor and Stanford-le-Hope West ward councillor Terry Piccolo has defended the authority in the wake of this week's resurfacing works on the ward's main road.

Having found itself approaching the financial year end with money in the roadworks budget that it had to spend, the council has been undertaking a number of resurfacing projects across the borough in recent days.

One of them was on London Road in Stanford, where contractors ripped up speed bumps laid just a couple of weeks previously, but failed to reinstate them.

Thurrock Nub News reported from the scene earlier this week and reflected on the fact it seems to be a significant waste of public money and an example of bad planning - particularly as a roadworks crew from the same contractors will now be coming back to cut up the newly laid Both asphalt and tarmac and put in the bumps for a second time.

We asked why it couldn't have been done at the same time and if the council really had a coherent strategy?

Cllr Piccolo jumped to the council and contractor's defence, saying: "The contractor (Henderson and Taylor) had the option of planing off the road surface up to either side of the cushions at each location leaving the cushions in place (which would take longer) or going straight through taking the cushions out as they went and reinstating them again.

"Their preference was to go straight through as it sped up the operation of works, but this was at their cost.

"I can clarify that they will be reinstating the speed cushions within these works.

"The expert contractor felt it was the most cost effective and least time consuming way. The replacement of the speed cushions was all included in the original price."

Cllr Piccolo's last statement about the original price suggests that it was known in September when the council announced it was going to put in traffic calming that the bumps would be put in, ripped out and replaced, though it appears it has happened sooner than planned as a consequence of instigating what he as 'emergency work'.

Cllr Piccolo said: "This is being done out of the emergency budget for road repairs. This budget is an amount of money put aside each year in case of emergency repairs due to the road surface being damaged by car accidents, spillages etc.

"It cannot be carried over so around this time of the year they look to see what works are in the pipeline for early next year and complete these to free up more money from next year's budget.

"It wouldn't have been known in September that there would still be money available out of this year's emergency budget so that is why we are now seeing a number of repairs being done in the next six weeks."

Man local residents have taken to social media to ridicule the council's apparent lack of foresight and planning. That led us to ask Cllr Piccolo for his view from a ward perspective and if he would be challenging what had happened and seeking accountability. We also asked for an official statement from the council but were told there was no need as Cllr Piccolo had been told what to say, with the strategic lead for communications saying: "In this instance, the council statement on the London Road query would be saying the same thing as that was information provided by an officer to Cllr Piccolo."