The 'pothole heroes' fixing Britain's ravaged roads

Scaffolder Dermot McGeough from Devon mending another pothole. (SWNS)

Many people across the UK have become so fed up with potholes in their area that they are taking matters into their own hands.

Keir Starmer has said that potholes aren't "boring" as he vowed to press councils into repairing Britain's roads.

The prime minister said that, from Monday, local authorities in England must publish annual progress reports on their plans to fix potholes or risk losing out on their share of £500m of government funding.

The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) said this month that the cost of repairing pothole-riddled roads in England and Wales is almost £17bn, a record high.

Asked in an interview on BBC Radio 5Live if potholes were "boring", Starmer said: "There will be some people hitting a pothole this morning, and then they are picking up an average £600 bill to their car or their van.

“That isn’t boring, that is really irritating. We’ve got far too many of them, and this is about getting that job done.”

But as patience with councils – both from the government and the public – runs thin, some people are taking matters into their own hands and either repairing potholes themselves or using unique forms of protest to highlight the problem.

Devon tradesman 'saves taxpayer £100k' by fixing nearly 600 potholes

Earlier this month, scaffolder Dermot McGeough, 43, said he had saved taxpayers more than £100,000 by repairing 570 potholes in Devon in the past four years.

McGeough, who is also a Conservative Party county councillor, said his efforts in the Appledore, Northam an Westward Ho! areas had saved the public £107,000.

Gen Z-er fed up with local potholes finds novel way to fill them

Landscaper and decorator Harry Smith-Haggett, 22, has found a unique way of highlighting potholes in West Sussex since last summer.

Through his Pretty Potholes campaign, Smith-Haggett fills in the potholes with flowers, then posts his creations on TikTok, with some videos having more than 3.5 million views. He has filled in more than 100 potholes in Horsham and surrounding areas.

He said: “Everyone’s already contacting the council and reporting potholes – but nothing is getting done, so I thought I’d try something different."

He said most of the potholes he had filled with flowers had later been repaired by the council.

A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: "Several repairs have been carried out in Fordingbridge Close after inspections by our officers, and this work was completed on 13 March 2025. Our last routine inspection of the road was on 13 June 2024 as part of our annual walked survey. We have also completed a number of large patching works in December 2024 in Robin Hood Lane.

“Our highways team assesses and prioritises repairs based on safety criteria. We strongly urge residents not to take action on the roads themselves, as this poses a serious safety risk. The most effective way to report potholes is via our online reporting tool."