IT’S only when driving abroad that you realise how truly awful our roads are.

I drove recently from Port Zelande in the Netherlands to Calais, a distance of 150 miles, in three hours.

Not a pothole in sight, and drivers, for the most part, courteous, and the traffic free flowing.

After crossing the channel, the next leg of my journey, from Folkestone to home, 220 miles, took eight hours.

The roads are in an appalling state, the drivers largely aggressive, with frequent traffic jams. When I see foreign tourists over here now, I feel embarrassed!

Brian Meekings

Eggesford