RESIDENTS are being urged to report any road surface damage to the council – as 'atrocious' potholes cause 'chaos' in a west Cumbrian village.

A number of large potholes in Gosforth have been blamed for punctured tyres and vehicles are being forced to swerve to avoid the holes.

Louise Brewer, who lives just outside Gosforth, said: “The village potholes are atrocious and deep. I'd say the worst one is between here and Seascale. It's right at the edge of the road and as there's no lighting it can't be seen in the dark.

“One lady had her tyre punctured when she hit it but the worst part of that particular pothole is that motorists swerve to avoid it and oncoming cars are at risk of serious accidents because it's next to a bend in the road. It's been there for ages.”

A member of staff from Simply Fresh Gosforth Shop said some repairs had been carried out to a massive' pothole outside the shop but it would likely need to be filled in again.

He said: “It was massive so it was chaos because people park outside of the shop. If you don’t know it’s there, you’re driving on top of it. There’s one further up the road as well.”

Jacqueline Williams, Gosforth Parish Council clerk, said: “It’s an issue. They did some repairs on one of the roads quite recently but they seem to have come back almost immediately. I think it’s the weather.

“We have to report it online and hopefully they will get to it pretty quickly.”

Paul Turner, who represents Gosforth on Cumbria County Council, said the potholes in Gosforth had now been fixed.

He is encouraging people to report new potholes to the council, rather than posting on social media.

Cllr Turner said: “It’s an issue at this time of year. I would encourage people to report any new potholes as soon as possible using the systems in place.”

READ MORE: Emergency services called to car on its roof on Gosforth Road