People fed up of driving in the pothole capital
FED-UP people living in the pothole capital of England say the crumbling roads are so bad it’s like “driving on the moon”.
A study found Hereford had more potholes than any other area in the country, with 25,000 being reported to the council last year alone.
Data reviewed from reports on the FixMyStreet platform found there was one pothole reported for every 127th resident in Hereford. Herefordshire Council was found to be struggling to keep up with demand with figures showing only half of reported potholes being filled in.
Residents also claim the pavements are “falling apart” with some saying they are too scared to venture out after dark in case they trip over.
Great-gran Jenni Gough, 76, says the state of the roads outside her home in Andrews Close is “appalling”.
The retired PA said: “I have lived here for 25 years and I’ve never known the roads and pavements to be so bad.
“There are about three potholes at the end of our road which have been there for three years and they just get bigger and bigger.
“About six months ago the council filled them in but already they are sinking and it won’t be long until they are back to what they were.
“A friend of mine was cycling on a main road and didn’t see a pothole because it had been raining and the road looked flat.
“They went over their handlebars and landed in the middle of the road. Luckily the cars stopped in time but it could have been a disaster.”
Tyre-fitter Jake Bow, 29, says he is called out at least three times a day to rescue drivers who have damaged their cars on potholes.
He said: “It’s just getting ridiculous at the moment. We’re called out at least three times a day to help people whose tyres have burst or cars damaged.
“The people who we help are just driving on normal roads in the city but these giant potholes are everywhere.
“We have a lot of people who limp to us with flat tyres who we are helping too. The council are doing nothing to help.”
Jake also suffered a burst tyre in his own Mini when he went over a pothole last Sunday.
He said: “I was going quite slowly but hit this large pothole in the road and my front driver’s side tyre just went bang.
“I took a few pictures of the damage and the pothole before I made a claim to the council because I’ve heard stories of people claiming for compensation from the council only for the council to rush out and quickly fill in the hole.
“It’s like whack-a-mole but the council need to get a grip on the situation. It’s getting to the point where it’s almost not worth the risk of driving into Hereford.”
Part-time nurse Anne Doverman, 60, says her house on St Guthlac Street has even been damaged by cars driving through potholes.
The mum-of-two said: “We get a lot of traffic on the road and when the potholes are full of water we get dirty splashes all up our front door.
“We’ve also had a cracked window after a car went over a pothole and it kicked up a load of loose gravel and stones.
“We always report the potholes and the council come out and fill them in but it makes no difference. A few months later they’re back and bigger than ever.
“It’s a really terrible situation and Hereford is well deserving of its title as England’s pothole capital.”
It’s not just the roads which have been neglected, with many pavements also falling to bits.
Another resident said: “I don’t drive but I walk everywhere and even that is dangerous.
“Sometimes I feel like my short trip to the shops is like walking across the surface of the moon.
“There are literally craters everywhere you look. I don’t walk anywhere after dark in case I trip over and fall flat on my face.”
A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said: “Potholes are a scourge of all highway authorities up and down the country and we know the impact that they can have on motorists.
“This report looked at the number of potholes reported versus the population of each area and as we are a rural county with an extensive road network it serves to highlight the challenges and pressures we face.
“To put the scale of the challenge in context, Herefordshire’s highway network is over 2,100 miles in length, which is long enough to stretch from Land’s End to John O’Groats some two and a half times.
“Despite this it is encouraging to see that Herefordshire Council is recognised for being ‘more responsive’ than many other local authorities, fixing potholes at a much higher rate.
“We are aware more work is required and we continue to work proactively to tackle the scourge of potholes and invest in the county’s road network where we can.
“As part of this we are committing £10 million pounds of additional investment into highway resurfacing between 2024-2026 and we will be investing every penny of the additional funding the government has allocated to Herefordshire, following the changes to HS2, into our highway network.
“This will mean a further £106 million pounds being invested over the next 10 years into local roads alongside the £14 million pounds we receive from government each year to maintain our road network.”
It’s a really terrible situation and Hereford is well deserving of its title as England’s pothole capital ANNE DOVERMAN