MOTORISTS have raised concerns about the management of a large pothole on the side of a country road in Finchampstead.
The pit was located halfway down Park Lane and was around 15cm deep, causing issues to cars travelling along the narrow road with one driver grounding his vehicle in it on April 7.
The damage was reported immediately, but required the resident, who has asked to remain anonymous, to lodge two formal complaints to Wokingham Borough Council before the hole was repaired on September 8.
Instead of being filled with tarmac, it was filled using what appeared to be a gravel-mud composite. This has led to some residents questioning the safety of the resolution.
The motorist said: “All they’ve done is put soil into the ground. You get the feeling they’ll reopen quicker than if they’d used cement.
“It’s right on the road edge and it’s not the only case of this in the area.”
His initial concern was about the lack of visibility, particularly given how narrow the affected section of Park Lane is.
Having brought the damaged carriageway edge to the council’s attention, the resident was told that the hole would be “closed”, with three traffic cones positioned around it to warn oncoming drivers, with a view to being filled.
After more than a month without any updates, two formal complaints were made to the council, with three defect orders being completed in late May. After what the resident described as ‘a saga’ of email exchanges, the pothole was finally filled last week.
The resident expressed his doubts about the durability of the resolution, which he has been told is not temporary, and explained that there are still many sections of the road and neighbouring Reading Road which have similar problems.
Another resident took to social media, commenting that they had noticed and reported six substandard repairs on the A327.
Wokingham Borough Council confirmed that the hole had been temporarily fixed to ensure the short-term safety of the road, following an inspection in May which indicated there was no need of immediate repair.
Longer-term plans involve updating drainage in the area and carrying out road closures. The material that has been used to fill the hole is “more robust than tarmac”, but will need topping up as it will be affected by wheel tracking and heavy rain.
