Motorist Takes Matters into Their Own Hands and Fills Giant Pothole in Cornwall

In Cornwall, England, dealing with troublesome roads has become an all-too-common experience for many locals. But recently, a daring individual decided to take matters into their own hands by filling a gigantic pothole on Tanhouse Road and Bodmin Hill in Lostwithiel with cement.

Though this impromptu repair provided the community with temporary relief, it sparked a dispute between the mystery motorist, the Cornwall Council, and the road repair company, Cormac.

The road initially faced an official closure at the beginning of April, due to persistent drainage problems. However, seeing no action from authorities for a whole month, the impatient driver decided to fix the problem independently over the first weekend in May. This led to the road being temporarily reopened, only for it to be re-shut by Cormac, who stressed the need for official repair work.

Currently, Cornwall Highways is actively seeking information about this unidentified repair warrior. They hope for the community’s input to track down the individual responsible. Colin Martin, a dedicated Cornwall councilor for Lanreath and Lostwithiel, believes this pothole symbolizes the substantial decline within the public sector, largely attributed to insufficient funding.

Mr. Martin explains that the road will remain out of bounds until Cormac can address the repairs, a process that might take weeks. Their teams are presently occupied with fixing smaller potholes on other usable roads. He also pointed fingers at the local Conservatives for making substantial budget cuts that have plagued Cornwall Council’s recent road maintenance efforts, inevitably causing a spike in potholes across the county.

This episode, where a citizen stepped up and took action independently, draws parallels to a story from 2017. During that year, a proactive Toronto resident famously erected a set of park stairs for a community garden at a fraction of the projected cost. However, much like Cornwall’s current situation, the city’s response to this unendorsed enterprise was far from positive. Discover more about how they reacted in the upcoming section.