A SENIOR councillor has been accused of putting residents’ safety at risk over repairs to a road melted by the summer heatwave.

Cllr Paul Marrow accused Cllr Phil Riley of a dereliction of duty after Livesey with Pleasington residents raising concerns about the Livesey Branch Road surface – which melted in the summer as the country basked in a prolonged period of hot weather.

Livesey Branch Road had patches affected on the stretch from Gib Lane to the Oyster and Otter restaurant, which is nearly a mile long.

Preston New Road also suffered for a half-mile stretch around the junction of Revidge Road.

Cllr Marrow added the Feilden’s Arms roundabout was also in need of urgent repainting after numerous minor accidents.

He hit out at Cllr Riley’s decision to approve £13,000 in spending to relax parking restrictions on Preston New Road and introduce one-way streets around the nearby Masjid e Anwaar mosque and Islamic religious centre to ease traffic worries.

Cllr Marrow said: “When raised with highways officers, they said Feilden’s Arms roundabout was the worst in the borough for safety issues but no money was available despite Cllr Riley recently stating at scrutiny that each case would be treated on merit.

“It’s a bit of a joke when Cllr Riley can find £13,000 so residents can park outside their homes in an evening.

“What’s more important - parking outside your house or residents’ safety?”

Cllr Riley said Livesey Branch Road was scheduled to be repaired with a survey commission to assess the extent of the damage before work can begin.

“The council has a statutory duty to maintain the fabric of the highways under section 58 of the Highways Act,” he said.

“This duty does not extend to maintaining our signs and lines.

“So as a result, when we have to curtail spending as a result of budget cuts, the council concentrates on the statutory services first.

“In difficult circumstances, we do try to treat each case on its merit and we have recently agreed a list of mini roundabouts which are scheduled to be repainted this financial year.

“The Feilden’s Arms roundabout is one of those on the list.

“Like many other authorities, due to the hot summer, the bitumen has bled through the road surface on Livesey Branch Road, causing it to go shiny.

“We have commissioned a SCRIM (skid resistance) survey to determine the full extent of repair that is needed.

“This is part of  our efforts to make the available money go as far as possible.

“The £13,000 referred to was not just to enable residents to park outside their houses.