people living on pothole-riddled road told repairs could take 103 years

Ridiculous road: Ian Bowyer and his wife,Elaine,say the road has not been resurfaced since 1983 (Picture: James Linsell Clark / SWNS)

A road in Oxfordshire that has been riddled with potholes and crumbling tarmac is expected to stay that way for more than a century.

Homeowners Ian Bowyer and his wife,have lived on Horsham Close for more than 40 years and have not seen the road repaired once.

The couple asked if the county council could carry out repairs along the cul-de-sac in Banbury.

But they were told that,according to the latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey (ALARM),the average road repair cycle is 103 years.

Ian,66,said: ‘It’s really bumpy,too bumpy. Other roads in the area are getting done,but ours isn’t for some reason.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.‘There’s lots of potholes that keep coming up,but they just do a quick patch job. Like all potholes,once you get moisture,it freezes and comes up again.’He finds the 103-year wait ‘ridiculous’ and believes that unless there was a serious accident,nothing will be done.Just one of several potholes along Horsham Close,making it dangerous to drive (Picture: James Linsell Clark / SWNS)Another resident who lives on the bumpy road,76-year-old Dianne Hart,says the conditions make driving dangerous.She said: ‘The state of the road takes the steering out of your hands,it’s that bumpy.‘We won’t have a road in 103 years.’Grandad-of-two Philip Smith said shoddy repairs littered the road as the council repaired around the cars rather than asking them to move.The 79-year-old former grounds maintenance supervisor called it a ‘cheap and nasty job,not done properly.’Andrew Crichton,county councillor for Banbury Hardwick,said the road was desperate for maintenance.Cllr Crichton said: ‘I was out on Horsham Close in my division in Banbury a few weeks ago,and spoke to a resident who claimed that their road has never been resurfaced.Horsham Close has had the odd fix job,but no full resurfacing since 1983 (Picture: James Linsell Clark / SWNS)‘The road is in a parlous state and desperately needs resurfacing. Does the cabinet member agree with me that 42 years is too long,and please can Horsham Close be added to the schedule for resurfacing?’The council’s cabinet member for transport revealed that the century-long wait is caused by a lack of funding and that it’s a national issue.A spokesperson for the council said: ‘The main road linking many of these closes,Sussex Drive,was resurfaced a few years ago.‘Because of budgetary restrictions,we have to prioritise roads based on a number of factors,including prioritising roads that receive more use.

‘Members of the public can report issues via Fix My Street. If this is done along with photos,defects can be actioned quickly.’

Fill them with humour - amusing pothole uses

With the rise of potholes and seemingly never-ending waits for repairs,people across the UK have found entertaining uses for them.

One man in Wiltshire turned his local pothole into beans on toast as a way to petition the government to take action.

In North Wales,the worst theme park in existence – Pothole Land – opened,promising visitors the ‘deepest,longest and widest in Wales’.

One man placed fake legs upside down in a water-filled pothole to draw attention – and it worked as Cambridgeshire County Council fixed it within days of his photo being publicised.

A resident in Malmesbury,Wiltshire,gained viral attention for setting up a mini golf course using the potholes on his local high street.

French artist Ememem,known as the ‘pavement surgeon’ fills potholes with colourful ceramic mosaics,viewing his work as ‘urban repair with soul’.