Minister owes it to Bob's memory to ensure our appalling roads are repaired

BOB and Aileen Newcombe should be enjoying their retirement. Married for 47 years, having worked hard and raised a family, they looked forward to relaxing and having fun in their twilight years.

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Lifelong Forest fan Bob would probably have been at Wembley on Sunday with son John to watch the Reds in their bid for FA Cup glory.

Instead, the agony of losing a devoted husband, dad and grandad goes on for the Newcombe family, from Ilkeston, with a legal battle taking place over responsibility for the motorbike crash that cut short Bob's life at the age of 70.

Bob had been out on a ride with dozens of other bikers two-and-a-half years ago when Aileen received the news that he had been killed in a crash on the A43 in Northampton. That would have been dreadful enough. But to hear it blamed on the poor state of the road left Aileen “devastated”, angry and demanding “justice”.