Arnold Schwarzenegger may have got himself stuck in an unusual situation after filling in what he believed was a pothole in his Los Angeles neighbourhood but which turned out to be a service trench for ongoing work, according to reports.
The Terminator star and former California governor, 75, posted a video on Instagram of himself and his team repairing a “giant hole” with cement and sand which he said had been “screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks”.
In the clip, a passer-by thanked them for taking action and Schwarzenegger replied “You’re welcome” while decked out in work boots, a leather jacket and sunglasses.
He added: “You have to do it yourself. This is crazy, for three weeks I’ve been waiting for this hole to be closed.”
Alongside the post, the Hollywood actor wrote: “Today, after the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it. I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here you go.”
However, a spokesperson for the City of Los Angeles has reportedly stated the hole was related to permitted work being undertaken by a gas company.
A statement given to NBC Los Angeles said: “It’s a service trench that relates to active, permitted work being performed at the location by SoCal Gas, who expects the work to be completed by the end of May. As is the case with similar projects impacting city streets, SoCal Gas will be required to repair the area once their work is completed.”
A service trench is a hollow cut made into the ground to allow maintenance work to be undertaken below the surface of the road. Representatives of Schwarzenegger have been contacted for comment by the Press Association.