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Mystery Daventry sign writer 'will stop if council apologises'

Martin Heath/BBC Route 66 Potholes sign alongside a town centre road with cars going by in each directionMartin Heath/BBC
One of the signs in Daventry town centre criticises Daventry District Council, which was replaced by West Northamptonshire Council in 2021

The mystery campaigner behind a series of pothole placards that have appeared around a town says the protest will stop if the council apologises.

More of the signs have appeared beside roads in Daventry, Northamptonshire over the last few days.

The protester, dubbed the "Daventry Banksie" (sic), could face prosecution under the Highways Act 1980.

West Northamptonshire Council said it was "working to prioritise and complete works as quickly as possible".

Martin Heath/BBC Pot Hole City - home of the incompetent council sign by a roundabout leading to a hospitalMartin Heath/BBC
A sign has appeared alongside the entrance to Danetre Hospital in Daventry

The campaigner told the BBC: "I read on social media about a young woman having to change her route to work as, if her car got damaged by a pothole, she couldn't afford the repairs.

"Someone else whose car wheel got damaged, she reported it along with photos of damage and pothole.

"The council didn't recompense [and] we deserve better."

West Northamptonshire Council said it had paid compensation to six motorists in 2022/23 at a total cost of £1,859.21.

The campaigner pledged to stop "when the council apologises publicly to the people of Daventry for being incompetent".

Under the Highways Act 1980, anyone who attaches a sign to any structure on a highway without permission from the highway authority or a reasonable excuse "is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine".

Martin Heath/BBC A small sign fixed to a roundabout direction signMartin Heath/BBC
A sign on a roundabout welcomes drivers to "hometown glory pot hole"

Phil Larrett, cabinet member for highways for West Northamptonshire Council, said: "We understand the frustration this is causing our residents and we are working to prioritise and complete works as quickly as possible.

He added that, since the rollout of the Pothole Pro, a £165,000 road repair machine introduced earlier this year, "we have identified areas that could maximise the benefits of the new machinery and are in the process of incorporating this into our planning for future works."

"This is not going to be an overnight fix," he said.

Ollie Conopo/BBC Woman wearing a pink top standing in front of shelves of booksOllie Conopo/BBC
Cally Pallot-Watts says some roads in Earls Barton were "more hole than road"

Cally Pallot-Watts, who lives in Earls Barton, in the North Northamptonshire area, told the BBC: "Some of our roads are more hole than road.

"One or two [potholes] are massive and, if they're filled with water, you can't see how deep they are."

North Northamptonshire Council leader, Jason Smithers, said almost £200m would be invested in the area's roads over the next seven years.

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