Re: 'Wrong time to dig up our pavements' (Letters, September 27).

I'm afraid that Mrs Welsenes is well off target in her criticism of Bromley Council in last week's edition.

Readers should not confuse the mayhem being caused on the borough's roads by the utility companies with anything Bromley Council is doing, or has control over.

Utility companies are legally allowed to carry out repairs and maintenance to their pipes which are buried in the road or pavement. We naturally try to co-ordinate our own roadworks with them.

What is particularly frustrating about Jail Lane is that back in August 2004, we met with utility companies and told them about our plans for Jail Lane.

Southern Gas Networks (SGN) did not reveal any plans for the area at that time as they should have. Had they done so, both jobs would have obviously been done together.

Almost unbelievably, just one month after we had completed 'our' job, SGN finally decided to reveal their intentions to undertake roadworks in the same place. That, and that alone, is why the work is being undertaken there now in such an irritatingly disjointed manner.

I believe that most people understand that gas pipes and mains need maintaining. What they have every right to expect is that such works are undertaken by properly resourced teams, supervised by experienced managers to ensure the jobs are finished in a timely manner, reducing inconvenience to motorists and residents alike to an absolute minimum.

We are holding 'interesting' conversations with the utility chiefs to this effect on an ongoing basis!

Councillor Colin Smith, executive councillor for environment and leisure