Village's 64-year pothole nightmare: Residents face shocking £73,000 bill
A tiny village lane in Hertfordshire has become ground-zero for UKʼs longest-running pothole dispute. Local people must now pay £73‚000 to fix the road that council refuses to maintain
In Furneux Pelham‚ a small Hertfordshire village residents face a mind-boggling £73‚000 bill to end a six-decade-long pothole problem. The 125m-long Whitebarns Lane (which connects main road to a cul-de-sac) has become a hot-spot for disputes due to its weird legal status: council says its just a footpath
The lanes current state is pretty bad — 32 potholes dot its surface making it look like swiss-cheese. Sarah Wright points out serious safety issues: “They fill it with road-chippings that wash away in rain making things worse; weʼve had people falling and hurting themselves“. Emergency services dont even want to drive there which creates extra risks for local people
Historical records show this problem isnt new — back in the 80s local papers wrote about a “20-year campaign“ to fix the road. Douglas Debnam a 79-year old resident with vision problems says: “Its ridiculous to call it a footpath when I must dodge cars and tractors; my white cane helps but these holes are getting bigger everyday“
The situation hits elderly folks hardest. Diana Perigoe whoʼs lived there about 7 years had to give up driving completely: “I got two burst tires and kept paying for repairs (which was super-costly for a lone woman).“ The councils response remains firm though — theyʼll only adopt the road if locals make it “up to standard“; meanwhile theyʼll keep throwing gravel in holes
