Authorities in Cornwall, England, are searching for an enigmatic driver who decided to patch a large pothole in the middle of the road using concrete. The area in Lostwithiel at the intersection of Tanhouse Highway and Bodmin Hill is known to have its fair share of problems with its roadways.
The street floor began to erode in April, prompting the official closure of the road due to persistent drainage issues.
However, shortly after the government did nothing for thirty days, an unidentified person decided they had had enough of the big hole and decided to take matters into their own hands. The road was swiftly reopened after more concrete was poured into the pothole than was possible during the first weekend in May. However, Cormac, the street repair service corporation of Cornwall Council, closed the street once more, claiming that their staff had not completed the work and the DIY repair service was not official.
Officials from Cornwall Highways have now been identified to find the person responsible for the unapproved repair. They discussed how the individual in question had removed signs without permission as well. The original plan called for closing the route until June 9th in order to make up for the backlog of pothole repairs.
Colin Martin, a councilor for Cornwall, noted that the situation involving the pothole is a microcosm of the more significant issue of underfunding in the public sector. More than the previous two years, he attacked the Conservative-led Cornwall Council’s budget cuts for proactive maintenance and road resurfacing, citing the widening range of potholes that Cormac finds it increasingly difficult to maintain.
The highway remains closed until the official road restore corporation can properly fix it, while the search continues for the mysterious driver. The incident underscores the frustration felt by residents who deal with highway concerns on a daily basis and serves as a sharp reminder of the challenges faced by the public sector due to lack of funding.
