Last Friday had been a particularly stressful day for yours truly and I just needed to unwind so it seemed like a good idea to go for a relaxing drive in my car after work.

My journey took me through Hazlemere, Widmer End, Cryers Hill, Hughenden Valley and Downley.

Unfortunately the little excursion was anything but pleasant. Rather than a relaxing drive I ended up dodging the numerous potholes dotted all over the roads.

Darkness had fallen which made spotting the potholes even more difficult.

If the potholes aren't going to filled in a timely manner maybe they should be outlined with fluorescent paint so drivers can see them in the dark?

It was treacherous driving along the stretch of Hughenden Road where the street lights had been turned off.

There may have been cat's eyes marking the two sides of the road but at high speeds like 40mph I was struggling to keep my trusty car on the road indeed I was so occupied with driving there was no time to look out of the window at the countryside passing by.

Yesterday morning I decided to alter my route into work and went down Suffield Road. All the potholes that were repaired on that road a few weeks ago have re-opened.

It really is dangerous driving along that road. The repairs carried out have been a complete waste of time.

You may remember a few weeks ago I saw a pothole repair gang in action. To comply with the over zealous health and safety culture that blights the workplace of today the workmen had to set up cones to warn traffic of their presence then the potholes were drilled out before being filled with tar and flattened with a shovel or sole of a boot.

The time taken to fill just one hole makes the task of repairing the whole of Wycombe's roads a very long an laborious process.

The other day I was looking at a national news site and happened to see an article on an invention called the Jetpatcher. See “Related Links” section on the right.

Apparently this new machine can fill potholes quickly and efficiently and what's more the repairs last. There is also no need for long set up times or for closure of the road while the tarmac dries.

The machine is being trialled by Hampshire County Council. It is just the sort of radical new invention that we need to wipe the infernal potholes from our roads so why isn't our County Council using this technology?

Have the powers that be in our area have failed to catch up with modern times?

While we are still using shovels spades the go ahead areas have invested in new technology to increase efficiency and provide a decent service to the public.

What do you think?