A CODFORD man is urging neighbours to stop paying their council tax until something is done to improve the conditions of his street.

John Gaines, 56, of Cherry Orchard, has been battling for the past six years to get the road outside his house re- surfaced.

He claims holes and dents in the road and footpaths make it a dangerous environment for elderly residents to live and believes drastic action might be the only answer.

Mr Gaines said

the Wiltshire County Council's highways department had come out on a number of occasions but would only fill the holes if they were more than four inches deep.

He said: "I have been fighting for so long to make the road safe for

residents here but it is

like banging my head against a brick wall.

"I really think it is about time we did something to make someone come out and fix it. We pay so much tax to make sure things like this are done.

"The next step I am going to take is to withhold my council tax until the surroundings are made safe. It would be great if I could persuade the other residents around here to do the same thing.

"If we all stop paying our taxes then our point will have been made and they will realise they can't keep fobbing us off."

Mr Gaines moved to Codford 11 years ago and he says the place has changed drastically.

"It used to be a beautiful place to live but it certainly isn't any more. It is as though we are forgotten about because we are stuck out in the countryside," he said.

"I bet the big towns don't get ignored. There are so many old people living around here and it is almost impossible for them to get out at night because of the uneven road and paths.

"All it would take is for someone to trip over and then they the county council could be sued for a lot of money."

Adam Butcher, a spokesman for Wiltshire County Council, said its priority is always the safety of the public.

He said: "If we get a report of a road defect we will come out and look at it and if it dangerous we will fix it within 24 hours.

"Obviously major roads are our main priority although this year we have ploughed an extra £3m into maintaining minor roads.

"With regard to footways the safety threshold is lower but at the end of the day everything we do is to do with safety."