A FRIZINGTON resident has expressed significant frustration with persistent potholes near her home which they said have resulted in tyre blowouts for drivers.
The area at Routon Bridge at the intersection of Steel Brow and Dub Brow in Frizington developed large potholes which have been made worse by the recent spate of bad weather. However, the issue has been ongoing since March 2023, when the resident first contacted the highways hotline.
The resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "They come and do a patch up job and within a couple of weeks the problem is back."
The resident believes that the issue is caused by poor drainage as the ditches cannot cope with the rainfall, especially recently.
The potholes have resulted in extensive damages to cars, the home owner claimed. They said: "Last weekend, a passing motorist knocked on our door to ask if he could leave his car in our drive as he had suffered a double tyre blowout due to the deep and extensive potholes.
"The car was removed by the morning, I think it may have been collected by a tow vehicle as I saw flashing yellow lights later.
"It also affects us because our drive exits on a dangerous bend and we cannot pull out but have to exit close to the right hand side of the road to avoid pothole damage which means we are very vulnerable as we are then on the wrong side of the road on a blind bend!
"I want to warn motorists of the danger to their vehicles and cyclists of the danger to their life."
The road is at the bottom of a deep valley, causing a tendency to flood after heavy rain.
The most recent potholes were patched up again recently, but the people in the local area fear "it won’t last and in a couple of weeks the holes will be back".
A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: “The recent storms and bad weather have seen an increase in the amount of defects on the highway network.
"Our teams are working hard to keep the numbers in check, but we are reliant on the public reporting these issues to us.
"If you see a problem with the highway please report the fault online at cumberland.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here