A delay in road repairs has been described as a 'cruel joke' on Hatfield residents.

Funds have been redirected in the county’s budget away from road repairs, according to a Lib Dem councillor, meaning some schemes have been postponed.

County councillor for Hatfield South, Paul Zukowskyj, claims that this measure has had a big impact on local residents.

Cllr Zukowskyj said: “This is a cruel joke on the residents of Hatfield South. Travellers Lane is no minor side road but a major thoroughfare in the town.

"It currently looks like a moonscape and vehicles are already slaloming down the road to avoid the morass of potholes. Now we find the funding to repair it has been cut, so the earliest this road will get fixed is now April 2022.

“The Conservatives at county hall are as bad as their Government in Whitehall. Promising everything, delivering very little.”

In Welwyn Hatfield, this has meant schemes in Welwyn Garden City at the Boulevard, Sylvan Way, Swiffields, Kirklands and at Crossway have been delayed.

Similarly, works on Travellers Lane, Old Hertford Road, Jacobs Ladder and High View have also been put off. While in Potters Bar Heath Drive and Cranborne Road's carriageway reconstruction has been delayed.

A total of 61 road improvement schemes have been cut across Herts according to the Lib Dems. This has meant a £2 million reduction in the budget in the next year and each of the following three years cutting £8 million in total.

COVID-19 has cost the county council tens of millions of pounds at a time when the pandemic has hit council services.

The council tax base is also expected to shrink by 0.6 per cent in the coming year, and council tax revenue is projected to fall by £8.8 million - a combination of the reduced tax base and shortfalls in the tax receipts for the current financial year.

However, the county council has provided £10 million to manage the impact of climate change on the county’s highways and £1m to improve tracks and paths that have been enjoyed by residents during the lockdown.

The full list of repairs that have been delayed is available at hertfordshire.gov.uk.

HCC was contacted for a response on February 17 and has yet to respond.