Closed
Biggest pothole I’ve ever seen in 25 years of driving
Reported via desktop in the Potholes category anonymously at 15:38, Tue 10 January 2023
Sent to Central Bedfordshire Council less than a minute later. Council ref: 381252.
I went over this huge pothole on Great northern road on the evening of New Year’s Eve. It was raining heavily, there was a lot of oncoming traffic (with blinding lights) & the pothole was not visible as it had filled with rain. No cones or warning signs were erected to make drivers aware of this pothole. I was on the way to my parents house for new year festivities & I ended up having to call my dad out to come & change my tyre as it was completely punctured. I was in St Albans that evening and New Year’s Day. When I returned to Dunstable on 2nd January, I took the dog for a walk to Great Northern Road only to see the pothole was no longer there, this confused me as I know I did not imagine it. I knocked on the front door of the house next to where the pothole was situated to ask about it. I could also see that a rather messy repair job had been carried out. The owner of the house informed me that it had been there an awful long time, the council had been made aware by several complaints by himself & other drivers that have also been affected by the pothole. I explained my confusion as I had only just gone over it on New Year’s Eve and it was now bank holiday so I couldn’t understand how or when it had been repaired due to new years bank holidays. The gentleman informed me that the team had been out to repair the pothole on New Year’s Day! I find this completely bemusing considering 1st January was not only a Sunday but also a bank holiday & they have been sent out to repair the road on such a day?!? Surely if they had been sent out on 31st December, which was a Saturday and not a bank holiday, the team would have repaired it at a normal weekend rate as opposed to them doing the work on a bank holiday. Furthermore, I am disabled and do not work, I am on all kinds of help from the government and council, I have recently been given a £90 food voucher which has now been completely wiped out by almost double the amount because my tyre was completely ruined & I have had to get a new one to replace it & also get a wheel balance as the pothole can knock it out of alignment. I am very Upset about this as had it been done on the Saturday morning, or perhaps during the Christmas week on a normal working day, or even prior to that when it had first been reported by several other drivers this would not have happened to me on New Year’s Eve and, I would not now be claiming for recompense.
Updates
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State changed to: Investigating
Updated by Central Bedfordshire Council at 15:38, Tue 10 January 2023
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Thank you for your Highways report.
We have inspected the defect and carried out works to make the issue safe. Any further repairs that are needed will be completed in line with the timeframes set out in our maintenance plan.
Please submit a claim form.
Many thanks,
Central Bedfordshire Council HighwaysState changed to: Fixed
Posted by Central Bedfordshire Council at 10:33, Thu 12 January 2023
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Thank you for submitting your Highways report.
Maintenance work is planned for this area and the issue will be resolved as part of these works.Many thanks,
Central Bedfordshire Council HighwaysState changed to: Closed
Posted by Central Bedfordshire Council at 14:25, Tue 17 January 2023
This report is now closed to updates from the public. You can make a new report in the same location.