Anyone travelling along Scorcher Hills Lane towards the Village, or strangely taking the long way round to the A1 by going the other way* will have noticed a new crop of pot holes. During the recent bad weather we have grown a crop of new ones and the existing ones grew much bigger.
Freezing weather, passing vehicles, and a lack of repair means these little blighters can double in size in 24 hours. In the USA they are known, and maybe better described as chuck holes – as they chuck up stones over the road and can also chuck a car off the road.
I introduced myself to the latest batch the other night. In trying to avoid a nasty blighter on the right I belly flopped into Quatermass’s pit on the left. ‘Dash’ I thought as the car hit the pot hole the size of paddling pool (no honestly) with a sizeable thump. The almost new nearside tyre burst and the wheel rim took a right uppercut. The need to change the wheel just added to the drama.
Scorcher Hills Lane has become a battle ground. Cutbacks in budgets have scaled down road repairs and pot holes are a current way of life – like some third world country. The remedy is a ways off. Road rebuilding hasn’t entered into any manifesto so at best we must rely on a shovel full of tarmac to partly repair a pot hole until it’s big enough lose a bus in it.
In case you ask my pot hole currently measures 2 feet in diameter and 4 inches deep. And no I didn’t see it and was only travelling at 20 mph whilst weaving in and out of other holes. So until the patching gang have been take care along the Lane.
*Bit of maths here; travelling northwest on Scorcher Hills Lane to join the A1 then southbound to Five Lanes End means you have travelled along the base and vertical of a right angled triangle, whereas the hypotenuse (shortest distance) lies along Grange Lane to Five Lanes End to the A1, which currently is relatively pot hole free.