Angry motorist puts up cheeky sign on road ravaged by 174 potholes

20 February 2024 , 13:06

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Locals of Wrenbury-cum-Frith, East Cheshire, stand in the potholes to highlight the problem (Image: William Lailey SWNS)

A mystery driver has erected an amusing sign warning other road users that a street ravaged by 174 potholes has 'all gone t*ts up'.

The sign in the quiet Cheshire village of Wrenbury-cum-Frith came after another one said the road was so bad it could "break your vehicles - and your soul". People living in the village, which they now call 'Wrenbury-cum-pothole', think the bumpy 200m part of Station Road is not funny anymore.

And they supported the ironic sign, put on the side of the main road, which reads "It's all gone... up" with a picture of rolling hills in the shape of a pair of boobs. One nearby homeowner commented on Facebook: "Superb - love the humour and community resilience." Another added: "Someone deserves an Emmy award!"

While a third person said: "Brilliant. I ran down that road the other day and it's got a lot worse than I remember. Impossible for cyclists now. The footpath is also impassable down there. What a mess! That road and the bypassing road that takes u past the flooding to get to Cholmondeley. And another person just added: "Legendary."

Lauren Ridgway, a mum in her 40s, previously said the road running through the village, which she has called home 12 years, was barely "car-worthy". She fumed: "Everybody has just got really humorous about it now because it's beyond a joke. It's absolutely horrendous. It's been going on for years. What started off as a couple of potholes here and there is just a massive stretch now.

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A mystery sign maker has mocked the council and the pothole problem (William Lailey SWNS)

"It's like a third-world country, but I think third-world country roads would actually be better. We've got farm tracks that are in better condition than that road. We have to pay road tax, our cars have to be roadworthy, but yet our roads are not car-worthy. It's diabolical.

"You used to be able to weave around them. You can't even do that anymore because the potholes are joined up, and they are quite deep. They have promised us that work is going to start in April. But I don't know whether that will actually happen any more - bearing in mind Cheshire East Council, we're told, has gone bankrupt."

Rob Cooper, 42, who owns local garage RC Autos in the village also said that the number of motorists needing repairs for damaged tyres had increased dramatically. And while he was seeing an increase in business, he also said regular customers were put off from coming to see him as they were reluctant to drive on the crater-hit road. He said: "I'm doing no end in blowouts and tyres that have been pinched by potholes. It's just endless. I would normally do three of four tyres every couple of weeks.

The road is plagued by potholes (William Lailey SWNS)

"At the minute, I'm doing three or four tyres a day. It's massive, it's crazy, really. I'm actually losing a few customers because they are not coming over that road. It's quite unfair, really, because I'm only a small business, I need that repeat business to come in... Everybody in the village is sick of it.

Councillor Craig Browne, chair of Cheshire East Council's highways and transport committee, said previously that repairs would be carried out in April after the last protest. He added: "Naturally, we are fully aware of the condition of Station Road in Wrenbury and agree that it requires resurfacing.

"There will be a £600,000 scheme starting in April, which will significantly improve drainage to this location. The only alternative to waiting until April would be to resurface now at an additional cost of £65,000 only to have to do this again after the completion of the primary works.

The sign telling drivers 'It's all gone t*ts up' (Leigh Aspey / SWNS)

"With our current budgetary constraints, this is simply not affordable. Additionally, all works need to be agreed in partnership with the Environment Agency and Network Rail. We apologise to residents and road users and would like to assure them that we are prioritising this work being carried out as safely and in as timely a way as possible."

Cheshire East Council Has been approached for further comment.

Douglas Whitbread