Residents of a Somerset street, including a 101-year-old woman, claim their local council told them to fill in potholes themselves.
The locals from Watchet say they live on “the most potholed road in England”, with 21 potholes that have been ignored by council highway staff for two years.
They were allegedly told by the council that the damage was caused by their five cars. More than six people have tripped over due to the potholes, which one neighbour likened to ‘bomb craters’, and two have ended up in hospital.
Brian Pankhurst, 79, says they were even advised to fix the holes themselves. Somerset Council responded by saying the lane is a public right of way, making its upkeep a complex issue.
Among those living on the street is Sheila Nicholls, 101, who resides with her husband Bill. He said: “They said we could do the work ourselves and fix them – absurd. We are all elderly residents and don’t have that kind of money. How can you tell a 101 year old to fill their own potholes?”
Sheila described the situation as “awful” and “very unsafe” for residents, walkers and cyclists alike. Their road leads onto the former West Somerset Mineral Line, an 11-mile long route of a Victorian-era railway.
The path links the town to Washford village. Brian said: “It has been going on for two years and it is getting worse and worse.”
“They have tried to blame it on cars – but people have barely got cars round here as we are all retired. Everyone is getting fed up with it.”
He pointed out that the residents affected by the potholes only own six cars in total, so it can’t be their fault.
Brian added: “The council are not taking into account huge lorries that come down here, as there are always problems with water pipes, great big council dust and waste lorries, supermarket vans, white vans.”
He described the first 100 yards of the entrance to the mineral line as “terrible” and full of potholes.
In 2022, all the residents who live in the 10 properties affected by the potholes signed a petition asking the council to resurface the road instead of just filling in the potholes.
However, Brian said the highways staff responded by saying it “was nothing to do with them”.
He continued: “Since an email in October from the council saying they would come and take a look, we haven’t heard anything, they think if they ignore us they can get away with it.”
“The council are trying to say it is our responsibility, but if it’s our responsibility why was it tarmacked in the first place?”
A spokesperson for Somerset Council said: “We are looking into ownership of the land and who has responsibility for its repair.
They said: “Whilst there are some potholes, the lane carries a public footpath which is still accessible for walkers.
“This lane is a public right of way, not a public road, which is used by residents to access their properties, therefore the responsibility for the upkeep of this lane is complex and there will need to shared approach to maintenance going forward.
“We do understand people’s concerns and we are going to work with residents to try to come to a workable solution.”
