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 ft 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 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 pothole to be seen.

I should add that I have just tried to sue the county council for damage to my wife’s car, but they  managed to get the case thrown out.

Ralph Ingham-Johnson
Witney