Saffron Walden’s roads appear to have been largely forgotten about in an ambitious £17.5million pothole busting initiative.

Just two of the 700 worst urban roads in Essex listed for the project – 50 of which are in Uttlesford – were in Walden.

Market Place and Neville Road will be repaired by March 2015, along with Frambury Lane, Gaces Acre, Pond Cross Way and Cherry Garden Lane in Newport.

Town and district councillor Doug Perry was critical of Essex County Council for appearing to overlook the town.

He told the Reporter: “There is a lot more than two roads that need doing in Saffron Walden. All they have to do is open their eyes.

“Yes, they repaired some of the roads that were along the Tour de France route, but I get letters every other day from residents who are complaining about potholes. It seems Saffron Walden is once again the poor relation.”

The town’s county councillor John Lodge said: “It looks like a pretty poor share that Walden’s got and I will put the question to my colleagues as to why that is.

“To be fair to Rodney, it looks like a good initiative – I’ve had lots of arguments with him but he has got a tough portfolio and he appears to be stepping up to it.”

Elsewhere in the Reporter’s patch, Thaxted is a big winner.

The Maypole, The Mead, St Clements, The Tanyard, Town Street, Weaverhead Close and Wedow Road are all priorities.

Road defects and pothole repairs are also earmarked for The Croft and Oziers in Elsenham, East View Close in Radwinter, School Lane in Henham and Skeins Way in Clavering.

Essex County Council has already allocated a substantial amount of money to road repairs this year and described this latest scheme as an “ambitious” maintenance programme.

Cabinet member for highways, Councillor Rodney Bass, said: “These roads are in urgent need of repair and we are making the manpower available to get the job done – recently doubling the number of maintenance crews to 36 to bring the county’s roads up to standard.”

The crews will also fix all current carriageway defects, but not those that may subsequently emerge, on main roads and rural roads.

Among the other 50 Uttlesford roads which will be targeted are 11 in the Dunmow area, four in Stansted Mountfitchet and three in Birchanger.