A man who filled in a large pothole outside his home after waiting weeks for the council to fix it was stunned to see council workers out an hour later - digging out his repair.
Paul Jackson used two bags of concrete to fill a 20cm deep pothole outside his home weeks after it was reported to the council, and with no sign of anyone being sent to fix it. But an hour after filling in the hole, Paul says a team from the council were on site digging out the concrete he had just laid, reports DevonLive.
The workers then fixed the hole properly, along with a few others in the area. Paul said: "It shouldn’t be down to us to fill in our own potholes. At what point does it become a safety concern for cyclists, motorbikes and damage to vehicles? The council/ highways are a joke.
"The pothole had damaged someone’s car and had been reported by many people to the council. It was just a really bad pothole and was like it for weeks.
"I’d had enough of driving into it and I’d read people claiming on damages to their cars on the Whipton Community Group Facebook page so thought I’d sort it out before a cyclist or motorbike went through it. I used a couple of bags of cement to fill it over.
The pothole in Whipton Village Road before it was fixed (Image: Paul Jackson)
"Lots of people passing were making positive comments but also mentioning the state of their road and potholes yet to be fixed. I believe someone may have contacted highways to report someone filling it in as they came about an hour after to fill the hole.
"Two trucks and about half a dozen workers came to cut it out and fill it back in. Was it a strange coincidence? They filled the other holes in the same area on different days bizarrely."
A Devon County Council spokesperson said: "We cannot condone work being carried out on public roads without consent and anyone doing so is putting themselves and other road users at risk. This pothole was reported to our highways teams on Tuesday, May 2, and they repaired it on Wednesday, May 17, digging out the concrete before carrying out the repair.
"We have additional crews carrying out pothole repairs across the county and they have filled more than 23,000 safety defects so far this year."
Drivers are being urged to report every road surface crack “no matter how small” amid a surge in pothole-related breakdowns. The AA, which issued the plea, said it wants authorities to “understand the true state of our roads”.
In April, the company received more than 52,000 call outs to vehicles stranded due to faults likely caused by potholes. That represents a 29% increase on the same month in 2022.
Common problems caused by potholes include damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels. If the level of pothole-related breakdowns continues at the current rate, 2023 will be the second worst year on record for road conditions, behind only 2018.
The AA said councils have a responsibility to inspect local roads on a regular basis but “cannot be held responsible for a pothole they didn’t know about”.
Jack Cousens, AA head of roads policy, said: “The pothole pandemic looks set to remain for quite some time, with little hope of a cure on the horizon. In order to help Government and councils understand the true state of our roads, we need the public to report every pothole they see.
“Regardless of their size, depth, the type of road and its position in the lane, we need to make 2023 The Year of the Pothole so we can get our roads repaired. Potholes come in all shapes and sizes, each one posing a different type of danger.
“While the worst are like deep caves, shallower splits that snake across the surface can catch the wheels of cyclists causing severe damage. On safety grounds alone, we need to do all we can to shine a light on the awful condition of UK roads.”
The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £14 billion. Recent analysis by the Local Government Association showed Government funding for maintaining England’s motorways and major A roads was 31 times higher per mile than for repairing local roads last year.
Meanwhile, the Government increased its Potholes Fund – which provides money to councils in England to tackle the issue – by £200 million to £700 million for the current financial year. Cllr Linda Taylor, Transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: “Extra funding announced in this years’ Budget will help but faced with considerable inflationary pressures and this existing backlog, it is clear challenges for councils still remain.
“Only by the Government providing councils with increased and long term funding certainty can this growing problem be addressed and our roads bought up to scratch.”
