We live in a ‘forgotten’ village with Britain’s WORST road – the council won’t help us
RESIDENTS in two “forgotten” villages say they have the worst roads in Britain with drivers, walkers and cyclists being blighted by potholes.
The pretty Nottinghamshire villages of Thoroton and Hawksworth have such bad potholes that some cars have had their shafts as well as their tyres ruined.
Villagers blame the state of their roads on passing trucks and an indifferent local council.
Thoroton resident James Max, 48, said: “The roads here are dreadful and must be amongst the worst in the country.
“They’re full of potholes, some which the council patches up but the repairs never last long and when it rains the road surface becomes one giant puddle.”
James, a father of two and company director, blamed the huge holes outside his home on “20-ton trucks travelling through and ripping up the roads.”
He recounted an “upsetting” episode when his daughter Grace and son Harry, 8, were waiting outside for him to take them to school.
As they stood on the pavement in their uniforms, a “car went past at 8.30am and sprayed water all over them.”
Most read in The Sun
Some locals have had to fork out for new car tyres after driving over “unseen” potholes, and many cyclists have to often swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid them.
Thoroton resident Peter Purdy, 79, described the roads as among “the roughest” in the UK.
He added: “They are a terrible mess and I get pretty annoyed!"
“Heavier and heavier vehicles are being used by commercial enterprise and our roads can’t take it. There’s not adequate foundation to take all the pounding.
“They’re breaking there’s no edging, no kerbs, and are full of potholes. They're disintegrating.
He added: “If you’ve got any fillings and you’re driving or cycling along it’s a good place to have them all shaken out.
“Vehicles are often getting ruined by the potholes, not just the tyres but the shaft too.”
Some villagers have had frightening experiences on the local roads.
Lesley Garton said: “I was driving out of the village, being careful, and with traffic coming in the opposite direction when I literally dropped into a pothole.
“It was the biggest bang I have ever heard.
“I was going less than 30mph but had a big bubble on the side of my tyre and needed a new one which cost £260.”
“It’s the HGVs coming through these small country lanes and creating havoc.
Hawksworth resident Nick Dale, 52, said: “The potholes have not been repaired properly in 10 to 12 years.
“At times they get an automated machine which sprays tar over the hole with a bit of top dressing and that’s it.
“We’ve wrecked our tyres three or four times in the past. You can’t always see the potholes before you’ve hit one and there’s not a lot of street lighting.
Alistair Henderson, 71, has a row of potholes outside his home in Hawksworth.
He said: “They cause a problem for motorists and cyclists and my wife has had to have a damaged tyre replaced.
“There’s lots of cyclists here and they have to swerve to avoid them, and if someone is driving past it can cause difficulty.
“The village is part of the Ironman Triathlon route and the council has to put big yellow circles around all the potholes to highlight them, and hope they are avoided. It’s terrible really."
Church warden Sarah Hadfield, 72, said: “We live in the sticks and get all these potholes.
“The council come out and do a quick repair, fill them in with a bit of tarmac which last a few weeks only and we are back to square one. It’s like a patchwork quilt.
Pointing to a giant pothole outside her home, Sarah added: “When we take the dogs out for a walk my husband keeps forgetting about it and falling in it.”
Her husband Steve said: “It's a running joke in our house.
I’ll be looking for the dog, walking backwards, and I stumble in the pothole. You’d think I’d learn by now!
Nottinghamshire County Council said there had been an increase in potholes because of recent rainfall and wintry conditions.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Councillor Neil Clarke said: “Winter conditions always take their toll on highways across Nottinghamshire, but I would like to reassure our residents that we are not alone as an authority in experiencing this.
"We ask residents and road users to bear with us as they will likely see an increase in emergency repairs as we keep roads safe through the winter until larger scale permanent repairs can be made.
