Hello Gnomies!
I’m the newest activist for R4U, working at a concrete-roots level throughout Uttlesford.
Report No. 51628471
We all know the problem; Summer is over, Winter turns up and the potholes appear (or in a lot of places, get worse). Essex County Council are responsible for tackling these Highway Headaches, but very often the job doesn’t appear to get done. When it does, it isn’t a ‘right proper job’ and soon as the frost appears, the road surface cracks again.
The annual cost to drivers in 2014 due to potholes damaging their vehicles was in the region of £730m and that’s before you take into account the very real risk of serious injury or fatal accident from an unsafe road surface.
Now I may be a gnome, but that doesn’t mean I’m unreasonable. We all work within limited budgets and pressured timescales (It takes me twice as long to pop the Newsagents than it does you humans), but a safe, reliable road network is a must.
I’m fed up of being told that bloomin’ great craters ‘don’t fit the criteria for repair’ -just because you can’t fit a cow in the ruddy hole doesn’t mean that it isn’t dangerous. Just look at recent accidents such as those caused by faulty pavement surfaces in Dunmow High Street. It has to stop and that’s where I jump in.
Report No. 2422275
If you experience a pothole, or lack of timely repair, or poor repairs with persistence reoccurrence, I need you to:
- Report it to ECC Highways on their portal;
- Then make a note of the Report No. ECC gives you;
- Message Arfur Gnome (that’s me) at arfur.gnome@residents4u.org with the location and incident no.;
- I’ll come check it out, and publicise the fault, far and wide. I’ll also get on the blower to R4U Cllr John Lodge at ECC so he knows I ain’t a happy gnome;
- If it ain’t fixed, let me know -we’ll be chasing them and reporting on the pothole’s progress;
- Do YOUR bit by sharing my Pothole Pics on social media.
If you don’t know the exact address and haven’t got time to report it? Send me a pic with a brief description of where it is, and we’ll get on to it.
You can also stay in touch with my daily gnomings on via Twitter @ArfurGnome, or through the residents4u Facebook page.