I AM writing to complain about the dreadful road resurfacing work being done in the west Wiltshire area and the fact that as a direct result of this work I almost crashed twice on the way home from Bath, despite driving at well below the speed limit.

I first noticed these new surfaces being put down a few months ago on the A366 between Trowbridge and the A36 in Bath and have since seen them going down all over the county. The work I am talking about is a surface dressing instantly recognisable by the light grey coloured gravel and the profusion of loose stone chippings left on the surface.

My first impression of this work was that it was very rough and noisy (even sat in a car it is noticeable) and that it must be some kind of temporary fix as the surface was actually worse than the one it replaced. None of the bumps were levelled and the previously smooth texture was covered by something resembling a gravel driveway! I thought that maybe it would bed down and become more usable but I was sadly mistaken. Since the roadworkers have left, it has become a dangerous and slippery nightmare.

I have read that these overlays are supposed to be "high grip" surfaces but I am afraid that this is just a euphemism for a cheap, easy to install, quick fix. Even though they are less than six months old, they are already deteriorating and their condition can only worsen.

Also, unlike a regular blacktop finish, the light colour of the exposed stones reflects heat from the sun, encouraging ice formation and freeze-thaw cracking. This can only add to the mounds of gravel already appearing in the centre of each lane.

If a motorcyclist encounters one of these unstable areas of loose gravel while negotiating a corner (as I did), the natural reaction is to stand the bike up to stop it slipping sideways, sending the machine heading into oncoming traffic! Only instinct and experience saved me from doing so myself. In addition to this, the rough, sandpaper-like veneer of the overlays will only serve to increase the likelihood of abrasion injuries to motorcylists who are unfortunate enough to fall foul of the treacherous conditions.

This situation is completely unacceptable. The motorcyclists and car drivers of Wiltshire pay their taxes like anybody else and expect safe, quiet, high quality road surfaces to drive on, not the clearly substandard gravel tracks that we have been sold.

If the county is serious about reducing car and motorcycle accidents I strongly advise the Wiltshire Highways Partnership to stop using this resurfacing method immediately, thoroughly sweep the affected roads free of loose gravel and resurface them with proper tarmac as soon as possible.

R GARCIA

Bowerhill,

Melksham.