Caernarvon Road in Cheltenham is plagued by potholes and residents have had enough (Picture: SWNS)
Locals in a Gloucestershire town are angry after the council confirmed it could ‘only afford’ to repair a stretch of their pothole-filled road.
There’s been complaints about the potholes on Caernarvon Road in Cheltenham for weeks and last week workers visited the area.
Many of the residents say they have been forced to give up cycling and fear the potholes will decrease the value of their homes.
After filling in some potholes many remain and some are up to 50cm in size on the last 500m of road.
But the council insists it is making the ‘best use of planned resources’ and the rest would be done in the ‘next financial year’.
Norman Freeman, 82, a retired BT engineer, lives on the stretch of road that is not paved properly.
He said: ‘They don’t fill in the holes properly. They just chuck some tarmac in and within a week it’s open again.
‘They’ve been here 40 times in the last six months. They filled it in yesterday.
Locals have been waiting for weeks for the potholes to be fixed (Picture: SWNS)
People have also been measuring the potholes (Picture: SWNS)
The potholes are also a danger to drivers and residents feel like they can’t cycle (Picture: SWNS)
‘They are not specialists. I could do a better job myself.
‘It’s getting worse every day. I pay £2,000 council tax a year and I have to pay to sweep my own road.
‘It’s absolutely ridiculous. I have been living here for 55 years. I have never seen such a mess.’
Bus driver Angus Morton, 75, said workers take ‘two, three, four hours to do about four holes’.
He said he complained to Gloucestershire County Council about a crew that ‘filled two potholes and parked up for 50 minutes’.
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Kim Evans, 54, added: ‘People drive down here because there’s two schools, so it is an area that is sought after.
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire County Council said: ‘It’s good news that our crews have recently resurfaced part of Caernavon Road as part of our further £100 million highways investment. This road was identified last year and added to our resurfacing schedule.
‘We’ve been keeping an eye on Caernarvon Road between Broad Oak Way and Alma Road and noticed the deterioration over this winter. Making the best use of our planned resources means we weren’t able to change the programme at the last minute and extend the section of Caernarvon Road at this time.
‘However, we’re pleased to announce that Caernarvon Road between Broad Oak Way and Alma Road is in the programme to be resurfaced in the next financial year. In the meantime we’ll continue to visit Caernarvon Road to ensure it remains safe for all road users.’
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