Potholes repaired after line painting mishap

Potholes that were surprisingly painted over with fresh white lines have been hastily repaired.

The blunder on the A1124 near Wakes Colne happened after Essex Highways mixed up its roadworks schedule.

Council contractors filled in the road defects on Wednesday after coverage from the BBC.

Nearby resident James Joyce, who poked holes at the situation, said: "It's a shame all potholes can't be sorted out that quickly."

Essex Highways admitted its contractor prematurely painted the road before a resurfacing scheme was due to take place.

A spokesman said it was reviewing how the error occurred "to hopefully avoid similar issues in the future".

One of the potholes was 3in (7.6cm) in depth and about 2ft (0.6m) in length, according to Mr Joyce.

"I came home on Wednesday to find they'd been repaired, so hats off to them," he added.

"Were they shamed into it by the publicity or was it the scheduling? Who knows."

Mr Joyce, who declared himself "captain potholes", joked: "I didn't know if they'd peeled the lines off and stuck them back on again."

The East of England was due to receive £72m for pothole and pavement repairs in 2025, the government announced in December.

Only 36% of local roads in the region are in good structural condition, figures from the Asphalt Industry Alliance showed.

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