Worst potholes title 'is ours'

Dave and Susan Raybould, of Fairview Road, Dudley, say their street is a lot worse than Wordsley's Plant Street, which has 35 potholes and was featured in the Express & Star last week. The warehouse manager is angry that there is no council tax discount because of its poor state. Like Plant Street, the road is unadopted and Dudley Council has no responsibility to maintain it.

Residents were forced to lay their own asphalt more than 30 years ago, the family say, and the road has not been resurfaced since. And the 17 householders in the street were also recently quoted £7,000 each for a new surface to be laid.

Mother-of-two Mrs Raybould, aged 56, said: "It was last resurfaced years and years ago, before we moved here in 1982.

"All the men got together in the street and put down a new surface. Our next door neighbours helped.

"Occasionally, a lorry puts a bit of tar down if there's some left over from surfacing the main road.

"If we want our street resurfaced properly we have to pay. We were quoted £7,000 each a few years ago."

Mrs Raybould said the road is regularly used as a rat run by drivers and HGVs, which only adds to the damage.

"Since they built Milking Bank, the cars use it as a race track and cut the corner.

"I contacted the Labour councillors but there's nothing they can do because it's unadopted. I don't think it will ever be done. If anybody falls over, we've been told it's our responsibility. It certainly doesn't do your car any good. There are more holes than road."

Mrs Raybould said there were not enough drains, and believes that the residents of Fairview Road should get a reduction in council tax.