An Angus pensioner has claimed he was told by visiting friends that a Carnoustie road was in worse condition than the dirt tracks of Patagonia.
Gordon Reid (75), from Carnoustie, told of his embarrassment at having to negotiate Barry Road when showing friends from England around the town during a recent visit.
The route came under fire from a member of the town’s community council and local councillor Brian Boyd last week and residents have been voicing concerns about possible damage to their cars for several years.
Mr Reid, who lives in Carlogie Road and uses Barry Road when driving to his golf club, said he remained unconvinced that anything would be done to improve the carriageway.
He said, “Three years ago I approached Angus Council to kick up a stink about the condition of the road but nothing has been done about it.
“At the time it was on ongoing issue between the water board and the council and it was claimed that there was not enough money to do the job.
“I have had visitors up from the south and they couldn’t believe the state of the road they said they had travelled on better roads in Patagonia than this one.”‘State of collapse’He added, “I don’t know why people put up with it.
“The water board have now started to tear the road up at Carlogie Road and that will be just as bad.
“I don’t know why Angus Council doesn’t make them resurface the whole street from pavement to pavement after they have done work.”
Mr Boyd last week called to have Barry Road fully repaired, after Eddie Wilmott of the community council claimed it was near a “state of collapse.”
Work has been done to patch up problem areas on several occasions but an increasing amount of “depressions” have cropped up in the surface on the road, which sits between Victoria Street and Pitskelly Road.
Mr Boyd said he has been pushing to get roads in Carnoustie resurfaced but claimed that “under-investment” in the town was slowing progress.
A spokesman for the council said, “We are currently at the planning stage of a number of roads improvement projects in Carnoustie and Monifieth.
“These include the proposed surfacing work on Barry Road between James Street and Victoria Street, which is seen as a priority and is expected to be undertaken this autumn, hopefully early October.”