Council's director engineering Greg Blaze stressed this yesterday as the number of rain-affected roads continues to escalate.

In recent days the Times has received a number of calls from disgruntled residents, including people living along Coralville Road near Moorland (pictured), Mooral Creek Road and Black Flat Lane at Wherrol Flat.

Residents said all were severely potholed and difficult to travel over, yet appeared to have been 'forgotten' by council.

Mr Blaze stressed that it is only by having complaints recorded at council that residents' concerns can be addressed and maintenance carried out where possible.

He said this year's continuing run of wet weather, together with budgetary constraints, restricts the level of maintenance that can be carried out on the high number of unsurfaced roads in the area.

There were extenuating circumstances which had led to the recent deterioration of Coralville Road, he said.

He agreed it was one road that was continually in need of maintenance, and maintenance was carried out after similar complaints in the last 12 months.

"But recently we had a fatal accident on the Stewarts River Bridge at Johns River which involved traffic being held up for about nine hours.

"Coralville Road was used an alternative route for many hours, meaning a great deal of extra traffic over a road that is not designed for it.

"State Forests have also been regularly using Coralville Road in recent times," he added.

Council has contacted Forests NSW and is "having discussions", he said, with a view to them contributing toward the cost of repairs.

Mr Blaze refuted suggestions from one resident that a grader was "sitting at a depot, not being used" when it could have been at work on rural roads.

"If it is really too wet to grade, we take those staff who are affected and put them on to pothole patching until grading can resume," he said.