York graffiti highlights city's potholes problem

Graffiti has appeared on a York street to highlight problem potholes which are described by residents as a "disgrace".

Yellow paint was daubed on Middlecroft Drive in Strensall, urging the city council to "fill me" and branding the road damage as a "joke".

Residents said it showed how people were "fed up" with potholes.

City of York Council said it was "committed to identifying and repairing problems to keep the highway network safe and available for use".

Resident Bob Dyson said the road was "covered" in potholes, branding the carriageway a "disgrace".

He said: "It's been like this for months, it's just progressively getting worse.

"You're weaving in and out when you drive down, you have to miss them."

The retired aircraft engineer added that he wanted a permanent repair and not a "temporary bodge repair".

Ysabel Boston said she had to "go to the opposite side of the road" to avoid the potholes.

She said her partner was a mechanic who sometimes brought home "nice cars" to repair - adding he had to take care to avoid the road damage during test drives.

Ralph Westmorland, who has a pothole outside his drive, said the damage was ruining cars, adding: "The cars and the people around here deserve better than this."

He said: "My wife's just had a hip replacement and backing out of here, if I hit one of the bumps, it's not going to do her hip any good and she's only had that done two weeks ago."

City of York Council Director of Transport James Gilchrist said: "Our highways inspectors have assessed the defects," adding: "Two defects require further action and have been scheduled for repair."

He said other defects would "continue to be monitored through our routine inspection programme" and would be repaired "where they pose a risk to users".


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