Chris Ames 23 August 2024

Safety warning as 75-year-old fills potholes

Safety warning as 75-year-old fills potholes image
Image: Pascal Huot / Shutterstock.com.

A Scottish council has expressed health and safety and insurance concerns after a 75-year-old resident used gardening tools to fill in potholes outside her home.

The Guardian reported that Jenny Paterson, who lives on the main street in the village of Halkirk in Caithness, had filled in what she described a '12 foot long crater’ outside her house, the remnant of work that had never been resurfaced, as well as ‘other lumps and bumps’.

With the help of a neighbour, she used a rake, spade, bucket and shovel and spent three and a half hours levelling an uneven section of road surface.

She reportedly cleared the gully, which was said to regularly fill up with debris and earth, then used what she had cleared to fill in the holes.

She said: ‘My lovely neighbour, Jen MacDonald, next door, helped me and the two of us tackled it together – we take pride in our surroundings as does Halkirk as a whole. It’s a beautiful village but Caithness council’s not very interested in us I feel. So it’s up to us.

‘We both got slightly carried away at that stage and tried to level out the area to keep the water away.’ Ms Paterson described the state of the roads in the area as ‘disgraceful’. She said: ‘It’s a beautiful little village with a great community council but unfortunately all the roads desperately need doing.

‘I can’t fill in every pothole so I filled in mine.’

The roads authority for the area is in fact the Highland Council.

A spokesperson said: ‘Whilst the council appreciates the concerns around pothole repairs, it is not appropriate for individuals to undertake repairs on the public highway.

‘This raises health and safety concerns for the individuals involved and potentially invalidates the council’s insurance should any claims be made.’

The spokesperson added: ‘The service is doing all it can to carry out repairs as timeously as possible with the resources available. Potholes or other defects can be reported to the council using the online report a problem form.'

This article was originally published by Highways.

The £37,000 SEND Problem image

The £37,000 SEND Problem

Natalie Kenneison, COO at Imosphere, argues that the real SEND funding crisis isn’t just about budgets - it’s about the systems behind the decisions.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Activites Assistants (CASUAL)

Durham County Council
£24,404 (12.65 p.a. hour) - £25,183 (£13.05 p.a. hour)
This is an exciting opportunity for Casual Activities Assistants to join our Leisure and Sport Service.   Leisure Centres are
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Pension Administration Officer

Durham County Council
£24,404 to £25,183 p.a. (Grade 3) Pay award pending
A vacancy has arisen within Pension Services for an Administration Officer to provide admin and data support to the pensions team and members of the L Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

County Attendance Officer

Oxfordshire County Council
£37035 - £39513
We are seeking to recruit to the role of County Attendance Officer on a permanent basis to work predominately across the North or the South of the county. The team works across the whole of Oxfordshire so flexibility to work in other areas is also require County Hall, Oxford
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council

Software Engineer Starter

West Northamptonshire Council
£26914
We're looking for an exceptional human to join our digital team to learn the skills and put them into practice, designing, developing and maintaining websites, mobile apps & AI. You'll join us on our journey as we create better end-to-end services for our Northampton
Recuriter: West Northamptonshire Council

Executive Director - Growth, Enterprise and Environment

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
£139,111.00 (pay award pending)
This is a chance to make a significant difference to the lives of families across our borough – and to seriously improve your quality of life. Redcar and Cleveland House, Kirkleatham Street, Redcar, TS10 1RT
Recuriter: Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
Linkedin Banner