A FRUSTRATED man has created a “pothole memorial” after a nine-month battle to fix it.

John Dalton, of Empire Road, Denton Holme, has hit out at Cumbria County Council for letting the damaged road surface continue to expand over the past year.

The 78-year-old first reported the pothole in February, and again in May - just weeks after Cumbria’s road network was badly hit by the ‘Beast from the East’.

Following a long dry summer, and bursts of heavy rain in recent weeks, the pothole outside John’s home has grown further, with fears it will cause damage to cars.

He told the News & Star: “This pothole has got worse since it first developed last year, and despite contacting the highways team at the county council to report it on two separate occasions, nothing has happened at all.

“Myself and the other residents along the street are frustrated that nothing has happened, and it’s just a matter of time until an axle or something else has broken on the car because of it.

“Currently, drivers are having to swerve out of the way to avoid it. All we want to see is the pothole finally filled in.”
Fed up with the lack of progress, John temporarily filled in the hole using small stones and some roses from his garden last week.

He also created a mock RIP sign, stating ‘In remembrance of the highways department’.

“I’ve noticed a few people stopping to check the signage, and seeing the funny side of it.

“But due to the rain at the weekend, the stones and sign have been washed away.

“I’m just waiting for a view of Australia now,” added John.
A Cumbria County Council spokesperson said the authority would be inspecting the area soon.

“The last inspection of Empire Road was in August when an imperfect surface was picked up but no further or immediate action was taken,” they said.

“Clearly the surface has deteriorated more quickly than we could have reasonably expected and the need for some work here is now more urgent.

“From the photo provided we can determine the rough size, surface material type, the likely cause of failure, the specific location and determine the best repair technique, all really helpful info that will save time and ultimately cost less.

“We will be in the area in the next few days so we can review the defect again, if necessary we will undertake some immediate action.”