A NEW road surface in Callow End has made one resident appreciate his four-wheel-drive vehicle.

"Thanks to the recently-laid surface, I now have ridges and big puddles to drive through," said Ian Trimnell, of Pole Elm Close.

Following the work carried out by contractors for the Malvern Hills Highways Partnership in Pole Elm Close, Highfield and Nixon Court, the road surface was worse than it had been before, he said.

"Now when it rains heavily the water just stands there. In Highfield it's absolutely awful. They have been back to patch up in Pole Elm Close and there's water standing on it again.

"I can't believe what they have done. They are just putting it on top of the old stuff, but it all needs to come off. As soon as the frost gets in it will lift anyway."

Parish councillor John West, who also lives in Pole Elm Close, agreed that the puddles were worse than they had been before.

"Where they have patched up at the entrance to the Close it has just exacerbated the problem by moving the water along. At Nixon Court there is a lip where the new surface joins the main road," he said.

Highways partnership manager Mike Davis said one of the problems with a new waterproof road surface was that water could not soak through as it might have done previously.

"It's something we could look at if there is water ponding in an area," he said.

"There shouldn't be a lip where the road surfaces meet and if there is a problem we can take it up with the contractors."

Mr Davis said the type of surfacing was chosen according to the degree of deterioration and the best use of the budget.

"In this case there were minor imperfections and we have used micro-asphalt, which is between resurfacing and surface dressing.

"Surface dressing would be cheaper, but it is less suitable on residential roads because people don't like getting bitumen and loose chippings on their carpets."