Linda Meli, from the village of Nuu and Malie just wants a fair go.

She said their lives have been affected badly by the poor road conditions in their area. It’s a sad reality they have to try and deal with on a daily basis.

The mother of one explains that having bad, and almost completely eroded roads, is not their fault.

But it is still a financial burden for them.

She added the financial burden comes in the form of constantly trying to fix their vehicle. She says their car tyres need constant fixing, sometimes even twice in three weeks.

“It’s very difficult living with extremely bad roads because of the many times we have to get our vehicle fixed,” Linda told the Village Voice team yesterday.

“The roads are in really bad shape. The tar-sealed roads have very deep pot holes and there are areas along that same road that have eroded so much that it’s really hard to drive through.

“Even with the other unsealed roads leading to the people living in this area are in very bad shape. During rainy days, the pool-size holes fill up, blocking families from getting through.”

Linda added the expense of constantly fixing their vehicle adds pressure on their family to provide for their day to day needs.

“The tar-sealed road I mentioned really ruins the tyres of our car,” she said.

“From Christmas until today, we have had to change our tyres two times and that’s just another added expense for our family.

“We have our family to feed and the road situation just adds another burden onto our family’s shoulders. It’s not our fault the road is like that, but we have to deal with it.

“We have to get it changed a few times because of that road. At one point, families living in the area even had to try and gather large rocks to fill the potholes ourselves, but that temporary fix does not last too long.

“But it is thanks to those rocks we put out there that cars are finally able to make it up the hill.”

Another issue Linda’s family faces is having no power, despite the many requests they have sent to the government.

“We requested for a power line to come to our area but they told us that they are conducting survey’s first and they will get to us soon.

“That was back in October and now we are in the second week of 2018 and they still haven’t come around.”

She added those living in the area just want to be treated the same way as those living closer to the main road.

She explains they are often neglected while priority is given to those in the coastal area.

“There are so many families living in this area that are struggling with the same things we are facing,” she said.

“The priority is always given to others living closer to main road while we are often forgotten. Even when it comes to our neighbours asking for a water pipe to reach their homes, they always tell us to wait.

“We just want fair treatment here.”