‘Absolutely appalling’: Residents hit out at potholes on Humberstone Lane
Locals say potholes are appearing across the Leicester-Thurmaston road, even in speed bumps, as councils promise maintenance work
A Leicestershire road is so bad that even speed bumps are “absolutely full of potholes” according to residents.
The situation on Humberstone Lane, which spans both Leicester and Thurmaston in the wider county, is so bad at the city end of the road that neighbours have spotted holes appearing on all parts of the highway, including in speed bumps.
One Humberstone Lane resident who has lived there for 40 years, said she had “never known it like this”
The resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “It’s just appalling all along the road.”
She noted a “really bad” pothole between Humberstone Lane’s Tesco and zebra crossing, and said the full width speed bump just before the road’s The Willow pub was “absolutely full of potholes” too.
She added she had also noticed that the smaller speed humps were “lifting up at the edges”.
She said Barkbythorpe Road – which runs off Humberstone Lane and is also a part city, part county road – was just as bad.
She said both Humberstone Lane and Barkbythorpe Road were “frightening in the dark for cyclists as they wouldn’t be able to see the potholes” and said the council “shouldn’t just do temporary work as the holes just come back.”
Everyone at the city end of Humberstone Lane who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said that road conditions were poor.
Resident Mr Mehmi, 46, who also lives on the road, said: “It’s terrible, you have to dodge the potholes left, right and centre.
“The road was closed recently and it was total disruption. It started when the schools were closed in the February half term and it was still going on when the schools were back for about another four days, but the potholes weren’t sorted. The council needs to fill them in. I don’t know what we pay council tax for.”
At the county end of Humberstone Lane, the LDRS spoke to two neighbours who were happy with the road. Caroline Orton said she lives on the cusp of the city and county, as the line cuts through her house. She is a county resident and pays her council tax to Charnwood Borough Council.
The 64-year-old said the road is used as a cut through so it does get worn but she was generally happy with it. Her neighbour, Philip Ayers, lives a bit further up the road past the railway bridge.
Responding to the concerns raised, a Leicester City Council spokesperson said the authority “fully” recognised concerns relating to “poor road conditions” and was aware of Humberstone Lane’s condition, with officials “already prioritising it for maintenance”.
They said: “As a busy road that is likely to need a road closure, we have to plan this properly to minimise traffic impact in the area. In the meantime, we’ll continue to inspect the road and address dangerous defects.”
The spokesperson said that Leicester’s main city network of roads was in “generally good condition” but that residential roads like Humberstone Lane were “now in need of more investment”, saying this was a “national issue” linked to “many years of under-funding by central government”.
The city council said: “The current government has recognised this and significantly increased the amount of maintenance funding issued to councils over the next four years. We’re committing to doubling the amount spent maintaining our roads, which will allow us to bring forward large-scale preventive programmes between now and 2030.
“The consistent wet weather has accelerated the deterioration of some parts of the road network and our highways team are working hard to quickly address potholes which are a safety concern to us. Individual potholes that are reported to us are all inspected and repaired if they meet our intervention levels, and we appreciate people’s contribution in reporting them to us – we received and acted on more than 3,000 reports from the public last year.”
The city council said: “The current government has recognised this and significantly increased the amount of maintenance funding issued to councils over the next four years. We’re committing to doubling the amount spent maintaining our roads, which will allow us to bring forward large-scale preventive programmes between now and 2030.
“The consistent wet weather has accelerated the deterioration of some parts of the road network and our highways team are working hard to quickly address potholes which are a safety concern to us. Individual potholes that are reported to us are all inspected and repaired if they meet our intervention levels, and we appreciate people’s contribution in reporting them to us – we received and acted on more than 3,000 reports from the public last year.”