JOHN O'Connor ("Why should they waste our money like this?" Bolton Evening News, October 6) and other readers might be interested to hear of the refurbishment of the council houses in Church Walks recently.

They were repainted, reguttered and had the roofs completely replaced. Good job, you may think.

However, the original plan was for only the first three layers of tiles to be taken off, the felt replaced and the tiles put back on again. The price accepted by the council from the contractor for the tiling and felting was in fact the price for the whole of the roofs to be replaced.

I would have loved to have seen the face of the council quantity surveyor when he came to look at the job.

Incidentally, within a few weeks of the work being completed, a new gutter downpipe on the first house had fallen off and the paintwork in general had become patchy and discoloured.

So, not only was a top price paid for unnecessary work, there was no quality control.

Multiply this incident by all the refurbishment and rebuilding work around the borough and marvel at the cost. And we wonder why we are paying through the nose to live in the Bolton Council area.

Ainslie Casson

The Poplars

Church Walks

Westhoughton

Bolton