Sir – I have just returned from holiday in the Black Forest, among other places.

The roads there are in perfect condition – like ironing boards – despite the fact that the area is between 3,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level and endures a continental climate.

So winters much colder than ours, summers much hotter and, in between, a spring thaw that waters the roads heavily. some of the roads have switchbacks with hairpin bends, as would be expected in a mountain area.

It is my intention to review my dash-cam footage – there’s a lot of it – and find some suitable clips to send to Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and to ask them to explain why, since our roads endure about the same population and traffic levels and a much more temperate climate, they are in such poor condition when the State of Bad-Wurttemburg can maintain theirs to pretty perfect condition: not a pot-hole to be seen.

Ralph Ingham-Johnson
Witney