Motorist Fills Pothole Without Consent- Private Company Gets Enraged
In Cornwall, England, authorities and the Public Works Department are on the lookout for an unknown motorist who decided to take action and fill a large pothole with cement.
In the UK, people often deal with poor road conditions, but residents of Cornwall faced extra challenges navigating around a massive pothole at the top of Tanhouse Road and Bodmin Hill in Lostwithiel.
The road was officially closed in early April, with a Cornwall Council spokesperson attributing the issue to drainage problems causing the road’s deterioration.
After a month of government inaction, an anonymous individual took matters into their own hands and filled the pothole with concrete during the first weekend of May. This DIY repair temporarily fixed the problem, allowing the road to reopen briefly. However, the Cornwall Council’s road repair company, Cormac, closed the road again because the repair wasn’t done officially.
Now, Cornwall Highways officials are trying to identify the person responsible. They noted that the work was done without consent, and signs were removed by this individual.
The patched pothole has drawn attention, as the private repair didn’t go unnoticed.
Motorist Fills Pothole Without Consent – Private Company Reacts
Cormac stated the road would remain closed until June 9th to catch up on other pothole repairs. A manager for Cornwall Highways expressed interest in finding out who carried out the unauthorized repair and encouraged the community to share any information.
Colin Martin, Cornwall councilor for Lanreath and Lostwithiel, called the situation a “perfect metaphor for the public sector’s decline due to underinvestment.”
Speaking to Cornwall Live, Martin explained, “The road has been closed again and will stay closed until Cormac can ‘properly’ repair it, which could take weeks. All available teams are currently focused on filling smaller potholes on open roads. Over the past two years, the Conservative-run Cornwall Council has cut the budget for road resurfacing and maintenance, leading to an increase in potholes faster than Cormac can fix them.”\
This isn’t the first time a citizen has taken on a city’s job. In 2017, a Toronto resident noticed the need for new park stairs in a community garden. The city estimated the cost at $65,000 to $150,000, but the resident built them himself for just $550. The city, unsurprisingly, wasn’t pleased. Read on to find out what happened next.
