Over a year ago, my daughter’s car had its exhaust assembly summarily detached when the edge of the tarmac lane at the end of which we live had had subsided sufficiently to make the crown of the road meet the underside of her car. Other cars subsequently came to similar grief. Bucks County Council was informed on several occasions. Months passed. We who live here now all know about the danger and keep to one side or the other of the hazard, although undoubtedly strangers with low slung cars must also have come to grief. Imagine our joy, then, a few weeks ago when white paint – that harbinger of impending roadworks – encircled the now heavily scraped surface that has resulted from regular contact of sump with tarmac. Even more reassuringly, a yellow highways sign was attached to posts at each end of the lane warning residents of its closure on a specific day last month, when repairs would be effected. We eagerly awaited, prepared to endure temporary inconvenience for the expected improvement.

That day came and passed. The sign remained. So did the subsidence and its mocking halo of white paint, which serves now as a reminder of our shattered dreams. Nothing happened for weeks. Then suddenly action – one of the signs has gone. More time effecting repairs and less time putting up and then removing utterly pointless signs that give false hope would seem to be high on the agenda for Bucks County Council’s New Year’s resolutions, I would suggest.

Continuing the road traffic theme, I am surprised there are still drivers who do not understand when to turn on their rear fog lights. I am currently commuting from Basingstoke, where I am appearing in panto, and there have been mist patches along the M4 this week on several nights. None of them were dense enough to provoke the barrage of red light that around one in eight drivers insists on inflicting on us.

To clarify, the Highway Code states: “You must not use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced as they dazzle road users and can obscure your brake lights.” They suggest 100 metres as the visibility marker to trigger use of the fog light.

Last night I could see cars half a mile ahead, once I got past the glaring dazzle of the ill-informed who seem hell bent on making things worse for those behind them.