How the nation’s going to pothole
Record rise in sinking roads
WHEN Olivia Fletcher’s best friend killed herself after a battle with mental ill-health, she turned to crochet to ease her distress — and started a global chain of goodwill.
After making a bouquet to remind her of pal Natalie Wilson for ever, Olivia began stitching single flowers and leaving them in random places for people to find.
And now her acts of crochet kindness have spread as far as Mexico and Australia.
Olivia, 22, said: “I’ve not ever called it a tribute, but she did always tell me that if I put my mind to it I could change the world.
“I always rolled my eyes, but she empowered me. Encouraging kind acts makes people look at what’s going on around them — a small thing like a flower can have a big impact on someone’s day.”
Olivia, who suffers with depression, puts her @crochyay Instagram name on each one, and a note saying: “If you find this flower, feel free to take it home. I hope it brings a smile.”
She said: “Crocheting is such a big distraction for me. Whenever I felt like self-harming I could pick up the crochet hook.”
The care assistant, of Loughborough, started a Random Acts of Crochet Kindness Facebook group a week ago to spread the idea and already has more than 1,000 members around the globe.
Olivia, who often gets messages from people who find her flowers, added: “It’s a dream to be inspiring kind acts.” MONSTER potholes have reached record levels — leaving motorists deeply unhappy.
The number of crumbling crevices reported in England last year soared to 15,524, up by 46 per cent.
A further 16,645 were recorded in Scotland – a 52 per cent rise – and there were 3,729 in Wales, up seven per cent.
The Highways England figures for main roads were obtained under freedom of information laws. But the true figure will be much higher as they do not include local roads maintained by councils. The number of holes repaired by Highways England increased by 62 per cent last year after the Government set aside an extra £420million – on top of an existing £300million fund.
But much of it went on patching rather than long-term repairs, says the Asphalt Industry Alliance.
This means it is likely the holes will return – and cost more to fix. An urgent repair is £65 per pothole in England and £ 70 in Wales, against £41 and £32 for a planned repair. The Federation of Small Businesses said there were 700,000 road defects and potholes in the past year in England. Nearly £2million was paid in compensation as a result of road faults.
The RAC handled 14,220 breakdowns likely to be caused by potholes in 12 months, while the AA put the typical repair at £1,000.
Which? said: “People had punctures, burst tyres, damaged wheels and broken suspension springs.
“Potholes are plaguing Britain’s roads, costing millions in car repairs, plus presenting potentially disastrous hazards to cyclists.”
Love can make a man do stupid things. Mr Xu, 35, of Changshan, China, certainly did after “meeting” a lady on the internet. He was so keen to see her in person that he stole a tricycle (pictured) to get to her home 600 miles away in Guangzhou. He also stole cigarettes to sell on the way to fund the journey. But as is often the way, her online profile picture wasn’t strictly accurate and she’d lied about her age. A disappointed Mr Xu vented his fury on more than 20 parked cars and was arrested for theft and damaging property.