Liberal Democrats in Harlow have launched a competition to find the worst pothole in the town, after Conservatives at Essex County Council voted for worse maintenance on local roads.

Conservative members of the county council's highways and transportation committee unanimously agreed to proceed with a policy that will severely lower road and pavement standards. Local Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Chris Millington said:

"The new policy set by Conservatives at County Hall allows the county council to leave potholes in roads to become more than twice as deep as now. Instead of 20mm, a pothole will have to be 50mm deep before the County Council even considers whether it needs urgent repair."

The crisis measure follows the Conservatives' mismanagement of the highways budget by £10.8 million, which they are now desperately trying to retrieve by limiting repairs carried out to roads across the county. Cllr Millington said:

"Liberal Democrats will continue to defend standards and the public interest. The travelling public wants improvements to highway maintenance, not the reverse."

Local residents wanting to enter the competition should visit the competition website, or send their entries (exact location of the pothole, with their name and contact details, and photo of pothole if wished) to Harlow Liberal Democrats, Freepost ANG2570, Harlow CM20 3BR, to arrive no later than Friday 29 February.