"The evidence is my own eyes and ears and plain common sense."

That was the staggering answer given by Essex Conservative county councillor Rodney Bass, cabinet member for highways and transportation, when asked by the Liberal Democrats what evidence he had to back up his claim that new congestion busting initiatives were working.

"However, residents of Essex know with their own eyes and ears that congestion is worse than ever, with many popular routes almost permanently gridlocked"

said Ken Jones, Liberal Democrats group leader on Essex County Council.

"In another astonishingly brash and arrogant admission, the highways department has spent yet more of taxpayers' money on pet projects that look good and win awards but have no mechanism for checking whether the initiatives actually work.

"Over the four years that the Conservatives have been in charge, our roads have declined to a shocking state and the levels of congestion have increased. This state of affairs seems hardly surprising now given the administration's cavalier attitude."