'Living in a third world country': Rural Shropshire residents hit out at they huge potholes plaguing their neighbouhood
Residents in an area of rural Shropshire claim giant potholes in their neighbourhood have left them 'living in a third world country'
People living in a rural part of Shropshire have described the roads “like a third-world country” with the amount of potholes they have to dodge.
The winter’s bad weather has caused all sorts of problems in the county, no more so than in Cleeton St Mary, a small village near Clee Hill.
On February 18, a deep pothole – described as a giant chasm – trapped four vehicles in Cleeton Lane, with a farmer having to rescue three of them in his tractor. Two weeks later, on March 2, an ambulance with blue lights flashing was unable to pass through the clay-filled crater, while a car lost control and ended up in a ditch.
And to make matters worse, an AA recovery vehicle subsequently suffered a cracked sump while attempting the rescue. One woman even had to walk to pick up her food delivery because the driver couldn’t get to her.
In the short-term, stone has been placed on the defect to allow access for residents, with Shropshire Council saying it will remain closed for other traffic to help reduce the number of vehicles using the road.
However, residents say a detour can add up to 40 minutes to your journey, and there are potholes elswhere.
“Dodging potholes in the dark and sometimes adverse weather conditions means I am often forced into them by oncoming traffic on these narrow lanes,” said Sharon Oretel, a nurse who has lived in the village since 2003.
“We deserve the same level of care and diligence in our infrastructure that we provide in our professions.
“Beyond the safety risks, there is a significant financial and environmental cost to every driver. I myself cannot afford to continually replace tyres that are damaged long before they are worn out.”
Hayley Turner, meanwhile, has a daughter who goes to a college in Shrewsbury due to having Down’s Syndrome.
“There’s not a local provision that can provide her with her needs,” she said,
“And a taxi journey is an extra 35 minutes. She leaves at 7.45am and doesn’t get back until 5.15pm.
“The transport guy even had a burst tyre – I think it took him two-and-a-half to three hours to get recovered. This diversion has been going on for about six to eight weeks. Carers are getting sick and tired of the challenge of doing their job.”
Some of the potholes have white lines marked around them. But Kim White said you can’t see them in the dark or when it’s foggy, and they soon wear off.
“It shouldn’t be a luxury to just have a normal day-to-day life,” she said.
“It feels like a third-world country. I feel we’re just being fobbed off with lip service and nothing else.
“They come along, will do one hole, maybe one next to it, and they pack everything up and go. And that’s not conducive, cost wise and time wise.
“They need quality assuarance of how the process works.”
Shropshire Council say it has arranged for its contractor, Multevo to carry out patching work on the potholes/defects.
