HILARIOUS images showing the “biggest pothole” in Britain have emerged after disgruntled town councillors staged a protest over the pool-sized pit.
The pothole, located in Buckfastleigh, Devon is estimated to a foot deep and over five feet wide and is so big it has been dubbed the “local lido”.
The “Buckfast Chasm” has been plaguing locals since October and on Monday [27 Jan] town councillors decided to post the images to shame Devon County Council into action.
The photos show eight town councillors posing alongside the swimming-pool sized hole as a dog paddles happily through the centre.
One of the bystanders appears to be sporting swimming goggles, in keeping with the aquatic theme.
Another photo shows children wearing wellies wading near the water’s edge.
The pictures were uploaded to Facebook by the town council with the caption: “Buckfastleigh Town Councillors in Mass Pointing at Pothole Protest.
“Highlighting huge potholes on the road on the outskirts of Buckfast, in protest at the deteriorating state of roads and drains in the parish as Devon County Council falls further behind in maintenance duties.”
The post sparked amusement among social media users.
Ruth Rhyd wrote under the post: “Market it as a lido and charge an entrance fee. Job done.”
Chris Smith added: “Ah! The Buckfast chasm. I know it well.
“Some say it was created by an alien spacecraft, others say it sits above a portal to another dimension, others say that it is evidence of tectonic realignment.”
Kate Smallwood said: “Isn’t that Buckfastleigh’s new open-all-year-round outdoor swimming pool?”
Ian Williams joked: “They are interviewing for a lifeguard to ensure nobody drowns… just out of shot is a lifebuoy.”
And Sylvia Belle Kuszmider said: “Biggest pothole in England?”
The town councillors said they posted the picture as they are fed up of Devon County Council failing to fix the roads after locals have raised the issue.
Chair of the Town Council Andy Stokes said: “This is a humorous way to draw attention to a problem which has a very serious side.
“We are finding that Devon County Council are taking longer and longer to respond to complaints about the roads and things are getting worse and worse.
“It’s not just potholes – in Buckfastleigh. We are always at risk of flooding and we have increasing problems with blocked drains.
“When we get heavy rain like we have recently, they just overflow into the roads and cause flooding into people’s houses.
“All this means there is damage to cars and homes and the risk of injury whilst trying to walk or cycle along flooded and damaged roads.
“We know that the central government has cut local government budgets by 40% since 2010 – Devon’s funding is down over £100 million a year – and we think they just no longer have the resources to keep our roads safe
“Climate change is going to make the weather more extreme, so problems will get worse so surely councils need more resources to deal with this not less.”
“We have employed a part-time town ranger to help deal with some of these issues. Cllr. Huw Cox has volunteered to become a Road Warden to help organise volunteers – but we can’t deal with the big stuff – we don’t have the resources either and we also don’t have the expertise, equipment or insurance.
“There is only one way to really fix this – the Government needs to reverse cuts to local authorities and fund them properly so they can do their job”.
A spokesman for Devon County Council said: “Unusually high levels of rainfall over the winter has contributed to drainage problems and a large number of potholes on many roads across our 8,000 mile network.
“We have 28 repair teams prioritising the worst affected and busiest routes.
“For safety reasons a section of Hembury Cock Hill remains closed.
“Repairs will be carried out from tomorrow and we hope to reopen the road by tomorrow evening.”
