A retired operations manager has filled potholes in his local area with Pot Noodle after becoming increasingly frustrated by the state of roads in his local area.
Mark Morell, of Brackley, Northamptonshire, has been unloading instant snacks into rod imperfections in an attempt to force the government to act on the issue.
Also known as Mr Pothole, Mr Morell has collaborated with Pot Noodle to raise awareness of the sheer number of potholes across Britain, using the hashtag #NothingFillsAHoleLikePotNoodle.
Morell’s previous attempts, which included feeding potholes cake on their birthday and floating rubber ducks inside them, were unsuccessful, meaning he had to go back to the drawing board.
‘Potholes drive road users potty and me more than most,’ Mr Morell told Metro. ‘The pothole crisis across the UK is an increasingly serious issue and something I have been campaigning on for more than 10 years.
Mark Morell, of Brackley, Northamptonshire, has begun filling potholes with the instant snack in an attempt to force the Government to act
Morell, also known as Mr Pothole, labelled the number of potholes across the UK ‘a serious issue’
The total number of potholes filled reported in this year’s survey has decreased by 16 per cent from 1.7million reported for the last two years to 1.4million in England and Wales
Credit: @PotNoodle
‘During this period I have had to use my noodle with stunts to highlight just how bad potholes are, from floating plastic ducks in water filled potholes, birthday cakes, fishing rods and model submarines.’
A survey by the RAC found that 60% of drivers think the quality of roads in the UK is currently worse than this time last year.
A recent survey by The Asphalt Industry Alliance claimed it would take 11 years for local authorities to fix every crumbling road in England and Wales, up from nine years in 2022.
Last year, the trade body found it would cost councils £12.64billion to fill in all potholes – but since then the repair bill has risen by 11 per cent to £14.02billion.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘We are investing more than £5 billion from 2020 to 2025 into local highways maintenance, and recently announced an extra £200m at the Budget to fix millions of potholes a year.
‘This will help make journeys smoother and safer for all, repair dozens of bridges, and resurface roads up and down the country.’
The Daily Mail is campaigning for an end to the nation’s pothole plague, which is costing drivers millions in repair bills and putting cyclists’ lives at risk.
