Residents of a pretty market town believe their High Street has the worst potholes in Britain – with one crater so deep they have named it after the Vicar of Dibley in a nod to the famous sketch where Dawn French fell into hole up to her neck.
After pipes burst following the freezing weather last winter, the Wiltshire town of Malmesbury was pitted with dozens of perilous potholes.
The deepest one in England’s oldest borough – which has appeared next to a zebra crossing – damages cars and has sparked fears it will injure a pedestrian as chips of tarmac fly around.
Clare Cliverd, 63, said: ‘We’ve called it the Vicar of Dibley pothole because it looks like the one Dawn French famously fell into.
‘It’s getting deeper and bigger by the day and it’s always full of water.
Marianne Hofstra, 58, landlady of the Kings Arms Hotel on the High Street said that it was ’embarrassing’ the town had gained such a reputation
One pothole is so deep the town have named it after the Vicar of Dibley because of the famous sketch when Dawn French falls into one up to her neck
They say the hole keeps getting deeper and is now full of water
‘Something needs to be done.’
Even the town’s deputy mayor says Malmesbury could win the British championship for the high street with the most potholes.
The quiet market town is famous for its links to King Alfred the Great, its 1,500-year-old Abbey and being home to England’s oldest hotel.
Its historic high street has cafes, a traditional bakery and gift shops – all packed with holidaymakers in the summer months.
But local businesses are worried tourists could stay away unless Wiltshire Council start filling in the holes.
They have even protested by using the potholes for a game of crazy golf while one local character even suggested putting goldfish in them to create dozens of mini ponds.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance revealed the cost of Britain’s pothole backlog has reached £14 billion in the last year – an increase of nearly £1.5 million from the year before.
And campaigner Mark Morrell – known as Mr Pothole – said that the crisis ‘shames our country’.
After pipes burst following the freezing weather last winter, the Wiltshire town of Malmesbury was pitted with dozens of perilous potholes
The deepest pothole in England’s oldest borough – which has appeared next to a zebra crossing – damages cars and has sparked fears it will injure a pedestrian as chips of tarmac fly around
Even the town’s deputy mayor says Malmesbury could win the British championship for the high street with the most potholes
More than a fifth of roads in London, the Midlands and the North East are classified as having a ‘poor’ structural condition and it is estimated that it would take 11 years for local authorities to fix them.
Ruth Rakes, 63, whose ancestors have lived in the town for centuries, said: ‘It’s got to be the worst high street in Britain for potholes.
‘A friend of mine tripped on one while crossing the road – if a car had been coming she could have been killed.
‘It’s appalling. Cars are hitting the potholes and sending bits of tarmac flying through the air.
‘I’ve been hit by one and I know a few shop windows have been hit by flying chippings.
‘I sweep them up from the roadside – I’ve got three bags full at home which I’ve a good mind to leave on the doorstep of Wiltshire County Council.’
Miss Rakes said businesses struggling to get over Covid are now faced with a drop in tourism because of the state of the once-busy main street.
She has teamed up with local IT student Ben Thornbury, 17, who put up a sign joking ‘High Street Crazy Golf Course Now Open’ at the entrance to the street.
Local IT student Ben Thornbury, 17, (pictured) protested by using the potholes for a game of crazy golf while one local character even suggested putting goldfish in them to create dozens of mini ponds
Local businesses are now worried tourists could stay away unless Wiltshire Council start filling in the holes
Ruth Rakes, 63, whose ancestors have lived in the town for centuries, has collected bags of chippings from the road – saying she has a good mind to drop them at the council’s doorstep
Ben said: ‘Everyone is fed up – we are reporting the problem but nothing is being done.
‘People’s vehicles have been damaged, tyres have burst when they hit the deep holes, it’s becoming dangerous.’
Marianne Hofstra, 58, landlady of the Kings Arms Hotel on the High Street said: ‘It’s embarrassing that a town with a fine reputation like Malmesbury has this problem.
‘We are all waiting to know what’s going to be done about our potholes.’
Locals say a burst water main under the road is causing the problem and until it is fixed the council won’t fill in the holes.
Landlord of the Kings Arms Simon Haggarty, 59, said: ‘Until they get it sorted they should put steel sheets over the damaged parts of the road.
‘Our delivery men dread coming here because their vans go into the potholes – you can’t avoid them.’
More than 600 soldiers from the Royal Logistics Corps, based at nearby Buckley Barracks, are due to march down the high street on May 20.
Locals say a burst water main under the road is causing the problem and until it is fixed the council won’t fill in the holes
More than 600 soldiers from the Royal Logistics Corps, based at nearby Buckley Barracks, are due to march down the high street on May 20 and there are fears the squaddies could trip up as they maneuver through the obstacle course of potholes and cracked tarmac
And the delivery drivers for Marianne’s pub dread coming to the town because of the pothole plague
But there are fears the squaddies could trip up as they maneuver through the obstacle course of potholes and cracked tarmac.
Mum-of-two Jade Hext, 27, said: ‘It’s been like it for months – Malmesbury’s a beautiful town but the potholes are ruining it.’
Liz Cook, who lives in one of the town’s quaint side streets said: ‘It’s not a good advert for the town.
‘We are the oldest borough in England – we’ve made a lot of noise about it, hopefully something is being done.’
Deputy mayor Gavin Grant, 67, said: ‘We are probably the British champions when it comes to potholes but it’s not a trophy we want.
‘I’ve read the riot act to Wiltshire Council about it and I’ve had an assurance they are going to start repairs very soon.’
The council said it had been awarded £3.6m from the Department of Transport to tackle its pothole problem and work is being scheduled.
In the latest budget a further £200 million more was dedicated to fixing potholes.
It is hoped this will help to fill in up to four million holes on rural, residential and smaller C and B roads.
Between 2017 and 2021 councils across England and Wales paid out more than £32 million in compensation for injuries caused by the perilous holes.
Some 5,596 personal injury claims were settled by local authorities across England and Wales between 2017 and 2021.
Lancashire paid out more than any other town hall, generating a massive bill worth more than £11m.
