'We're trapped in our tiny village by 90 potholes and flooded roads - we just want the council to fix them'
- 3 months ago
Fed-up residents of a “forgotten village” with around 90 potholes have begged the council for help after repeated floods.
The small town is riddled with potholes, and with one crater measuring in at more than two feet deep, residents are urging Kent County Council (KCC) to take urgent action.
Despite having a population of less than 600, West Hougham, Kent, is home to an estimated 90 potholes - about one for every six residents.
Steve Oxenham, has launched a pressure group in a bid to amplify the urgency of the issue and organised a public meeting held last weekend.
He says there are four ways into West Hougham and each one is perilous - whether due to flooding, terrible potholes or trees blocking the way.
Mr Oxenham said: “It’s been going on for three years at least - the state of the roads is appalling.
“The matters have been reported to highways and absolutely nothing has been done.
“We’ve had enough. I know of at least 78 potholes on the roads so I would have thought there are a total of 80 to 90.
“This is a very small village. We only have 240 houses and a population of less than 600, so that’s a very high number of potholes.”
A number of residents say their tyres have been burst travelling in and out of West Hougham.
Mr Oxenham added: “KCC needs to stop sitting on their hands and see first-hand what we have to put up with on a daily basis.
“We get the same platitudes time and time again - that there is no money. We understand that - but go and find the money.
“Out of all the issues in Kent, the roads are the biggest one so the financial resources need to be devoted to it.”
Mr Oxenham says the roads are dangerous, especially to anyone unfamiliar with the area.
He said: “There is one particular pothole which is more than two feet deep.
“It has been reported to KCC but they have done nothing about it. I personally went along with a cone and placed it in there and it was so deep that you could only see the top 10 inches of the cone.
“It’s disgusting and we’ve had enough. We are the forgotten village.”
Peter Robinson, who has lived in West Hougham for eight years, says his wife, who was in a wheelchair, screamed in pain as their car tackled the potholes.
He added: “The flooding reoccurs annually and only a temporary solution is made to some of the potholes but those potholes open up time after time and we drastically need something done before an accident occurs in the village.
“When we had snow a couple of years ago, my wife was seriously ill and we called the ambulance out and unfortunately they couldn’t get to her.
"We ended up with a paramedic fortuitously being given a lift in a tractor by one of the local farmers who managed to get to her.
“She was in a wheelchair and daily we went out in our wheelchair-accessible vehicle and she would be crying in the back of the car because the potholes are so deep. She was bounced around, so the pain was unbelievable.
“We drastically need something done about it. KCC must address this issue as a matter of urgency.”
Fellow resident Sally Herzog told of the time her mother got a huge puncture on her car because of the poor road quality.
But, because the area is so cut off, her mum was unable to report what had happened as the only way she could do this was online.
KCC says critical safety defects have been repaired in West Hougham with drainage works planned for February 26.
These works are estimated to take three weeks with workmen repairing the road to remedy damage from standing water too.
Quizzed on the latest situation in Tenterden, KCC cabinet member for highways and transport Neil Baker says bad weather is having a bad impact on roads.
But although he is unhappy with their condition currently, he is pleased council workers are working hard.
He said: “The roads will get better but at the moment they’re not where I would like them.
“To get our roads into a condition that we want, and our residents want, would cost about £700 million at the moment.
“We have a longer-term funding plan so we can start looking at investing in technology which will help us in getting the jobs done the first time so we’re not wasting time and taxpayer money going back.”
He added that the weather last year meant KCC staff didn’t have enough time to fix potholes.
Today is National Pothole Day, with campaigners hoping to highlight the dangers posed by the craters and encourage local authorities to take action against them.
The small town is riddled with potholes, and with one crater measuring in at more than two feet deep, residents are urging Kent County Council (KCC) to take urgent action.
Despite having a population of less than 600, West Hougham, Kent, is home to an estimated 90 potholes - about one for every six residents.
Steve Oxenham, has launched a pressure group in a bid to amplify the urgency of the issue and organised a public meeting held last weekend.
He says there are four ways into West Hougham and each one is perilous - whether due to flooding, terrible potholes or trees blocking the way.
Mr Oxenham said: “It’s been going on for three years at least - the state of the roads is appalling.
“The matters have been reported to highways and absolutely nothing has been done.
“We’ve had enough. I know of at least 78 potholes on the roads so I would have thought there are a total of 80 to 90.
“This is a very small village. We only have 240 houses and a population of less than 600, so that’s a very high number of potholes.”
A number of residents say their tyres have been burst travelling in and out of West Hougham.
Mr Oxenham added: “KCC needs to stop sitting on their hands and see first-hand what we have to put up with on a daily basis.
“We get the same platitudes time and time again - that there is no money. We understand that - but go and find the money.
“Out of all the issues in Kent, the roads are the biggest one so the financial resources need to be devoted to it.”
Mr Oxenham says the roads are dangerous, especially to anyone unfamiliar with the area.
He said: “There is one particular pothole which is more than two feet deep.
“It has been reported to KCC but they have done nothing about it. I personally went along with a cone and placed it in there and it was so deep that you could only see the top 10 inches of the cone.
“It’s disgusting and we’ve had enough. We are the forgotten village.”
Peter Robinson, who has lived in West Hougham for eight years, says his wife, who was in a wheelchair, screamed in pain as their car tackled the potholes.
He added: “The flooding reoccurs annually and only a temporary solution is made to some of the potholes but those potholes open up time after time and we drastically need something done before an accident occurs in the village.
“When we had snow a couple of years ago, my wife was seriously ill and we called the ambulance out and unfortunately they couldn’t get to her.
"We ended up with a paramedic fortuitously being given a lift in a tractor by one of the local farmers who managed to get to her.
“She was in a wheelchair and daily we went out in our wheelchair-accessible vehicle and she would be crying in the back of the car because the potholes are so deep. She was bounced around, so the pain was unbelievable.
“We drastically need something done about it. KCC must address this issue as a matter of urgency.”
Fellow resident Sally Herzog told of the time her mother got a huge puncture on her car because of the poor road quality.
But, because the area is so cut off, her mum was unable to report what had happened as the only way she could do this was online.
KCC says critical safety defects have been repaired in West Hougham with drainage works planned for February 26.
These works are estimated to take three weeks with workmen repairing the road to remedy damage from standing water too.
Quizzed on the latest situation in Tenterden, KCC cabinet member for highways and transport Neil Baker says bad weather is having a bad impact on roads.
But although he is unhappy with their condition currently, he is pleased council workers are working hard.
He said: “The roads will get better but at the moment they’re not where I would like them.
“To get our roads into a condition that we want, and our residents want, would cost about £700 million at the moment.
“We have a longer-term funding plan so we can start looking at investing in technology which will help us in getting the jobs done the first time so we’re not wasting time and taxpayer money going back.”
He added that the weather last year meant KCC staff didn’t have enough time to fix potholes.
Today is National Pothole Day, with campaigners hoping to highlight the dangers posed by the craters and encourage local authorities to take action against them.