Somerset resident aged 101 told to ‘fix your own potholes’ by local council – ‘Absurd!’

An 101-year-old woman in Somerset has been told to fix potholes on her road in an “absurd” move by the local council.

Sheila Nicholls warned the situation was “awful” and “very unsafe”.

Six people have fallen over on the road and two even ended up in hospital.

Residents in the seaside town of Watchet claimed the road is “most potholed” in England and accused the local authority of refusing to repair it.

There are a total of 21 potholes, making it unable to safely use the lane.

Brian Pankhurst, 79, said: “We are all elderly residents and don’t have that kind of money.”

He added: “How can you tell a 101-year-old to fill their own potholes?”

Somerset Council conceded there are “some potholes” but insisted the lane was “still accessible for walkers” and stressed it was not solely responsible for the lane’s upkeep as a public right of way.

Local authorities need to maintain public roads but a public right of way is privately-owned.

A spokesman said: “This lane is a public right of way, not a public road, which is used by residents to access their properties.

“Therefore, the responsibility for the upkeep of this lane is complex and there will need to be a shared approach to maintenance going forward.”

However, Pankhurst claimed residents alerted Somerset Council about the potholes two years ago.

He said: “Since an email in October from the council saying they would come and take a look, we haven’t heard anything.

“They think if they ignore us they can get away with it.”

Pankhurst added: “It is not a private road, it is a footpath – and that is public.

“Why should we be responsible for maintaining it? That is absolutely appalling.”

Local residents signed a petition in 2022 asking for the council to resurface the lane rather than filling each pothole one-by-one.

Pankhurst claimed Somerset Council were not listening to their expressed concerns.

However, a spokesman said: “We do understand people’s concerns and we are going to work with residents to try to come to a workable solution.”