Road is so full of craters that residents rename it Potholesville... yet 'no authority will fix it'
They are the bane of motorists across the country and cause billions in repair costs every year.Now the number of craters on one road has become so bad that locals have renamed the street 'Potholesville'.Residents say the 'undriveable' road has been allowed to fall into a state of permanent disrepair because no authority will fix it.The company previously responsible for repairs went bust in 2024, leaving the crater-ridden road with no official owner.And amid mounting frustrations, 'Welcome to Potholesville' was pasted over a sign at the weekend.Old Bridge Way in Shefford, Bedfordshire, has been at the centre of a row between Central Bedfordshire Council and local Labour MP Alistair Strathern.It provides the only access to the local supermarket, and the council refuses to touch it.Responding to the sign online, local residents branded the road a 'disgrace' and an 'embarrassment'. Amid mounting frustrations at the number of potholes in Shefford, Bedfordshire, a 'Welcome to Potholesville' was pasted over a sign at the weekend A pothole on a British street. The Daily Mail is campaigning for more action to fix potholes (file image)Another wrote: 'At least it notifies you before you knock your teeth out.'Mr Strathern has set up a petition, saying the council should 'step up and do the right thing'.In a statement, he said: 'Old Bridge Way increasingly feels more like a Tough Mudder course.'The council has Highways Act powers to ensure the road is made good, and extra highways funding to take action themselves. Their failure to is a purely political decision.'Writing on Facebook, councillor John Baker, executive member for highways, slated Mr Strathern, saying: 'His job is to raise and address legal loopholes that allow developers to dodge their responsibilities, not to defend them.'He claims that the developers who were previously responsible for the private road sold it for £1 to another company, which had the same directors, in May 2023.While the first company has income and assets, he notes, the second 'had no money'.It was liquidated, which Mr Baker says allowed the directors to offload responsibility to the Crown and leave the road with no official owner.'It is not reasonable for the taxpayers of Central Bedfordshire to fund private road adoption for one company, whilst responsible companies use their own money to carry out this task,' he said, claiming that it would cost the taxpayer 'in excess of £1million'.In a statement, he added: 'We recognise ongoing concerns about the condition of the remaining sections of Old Bridge Way. However, this portion of the road is not an adopted public highway so does not fall under our management or jurisdiction.'Teaching assistant Joseph Taylor, 23, told The Sun the potholes continue to ruin the suspension on cars.He said: 'It's the only way to Morrisons, which is Shefford's main supermarket.'In the middle of the night, someone pasted over the sign with "Welcome to Potholesville".'A cyclist added: 'The road gets worse every winter. The potholes are completely lethal.'The Daily Mail is campaigning for more action to fix potholes.
