Potty! Workers turn up to do repairs but fail to fix 50 potholes
FED-UP residents living on a road dubbed “Pothole Avenue” say workers finally arrived after months of protest – then only carried out a few repairs.
Neighbours in Mildenhall, Suffolk, have put up with holes as large as 18in wide.
Homemade signs warn drivers along the quarter-of-a-mile stretch of road after exasperated residents said it had deteriorated over the past two years.
After protesting to the county council for action over several months, workmen were sent out but still left more than 50 potholes.
Allison Brown, 57, blasted the attempted repairs on Trinity Avenue as a “joke”.
The housekeeper said: “A couple of people have damaged cars because of the roads.We wanted to buy a new car but now we won’t.
“My mother-in-law parks up the street and walks down to avoid driving on the potholes. People think we are overreacting but we pay our council
tax so we have the right to have a half-decent road. We don’t let my grandchildren ride down the road.”
Kevin Boardman, 69, who lives on a neighbouring street, said if he did drive he wouldn’t venture down “Pothole Avenue”.
The retired schoolteacher accused the council of “piecemeal” repairs and “letting the problems get bigger”. The residents said only 350ft of the street had been filled in while another 900ft was left with holes.
Cllr Andy Neal, who represents Mildenhall Queensway onWest Suffolk Council, branded the repairs as “incompetent”.
He said: “This is a scandalous waste of resources and highlights the incompetence of Suffolk County Council and the way they manage road repairs.
“By filling in a couple of holes it suggest there is no intention of resurfacing the road any time soon as promised.”
Residents say one factor in the road’s erosion is increased traffic flow from the expansion of St Mary’s Church of England Academy school, which is in the same street.
A Suffolk County Council spokesman said: “Trinity Avenue is planned for road resurfacing this year. We will make contact with the community once the work has been scheduled.
“In the meantime, to ensure the road is safe for use, the area will continue to be assessed and any defects that meet our criteria will be ordered for repair.”