'This is Hull's worst road for potholes'

A PENSIONER says he has found Hull's most pothole-riddled street.

Anthony Agnew, 80, says Churchill Street, off Hedon Road in east Hull, is like the surface of the moon.

Retired foreman fitter Mr Agnew said: "In all my years I have never seen a street with more potholes. I stopped counting at 100 – it was taking too long.

"Churchill Street should be renamed Pothole Alley it's that bad. It's impossible to drive around them, there are just too many."

Mr Agnew, of Ceylon Street, east Hull, uses Chequered Flag Motor Engineers in Churchill Street.

He said: "By the time I have left the garage I practically need to return again to get my suspension seen to."

He believes the whole road surface needs repairing, as opposed to what he calls "patch-up jobs".

"They should just get on with resurfacing the whole street," said Mr Agnew. "It would be make more sense than just patching up."

Rob Beattie, owner of Chequered Flag, said: "It would be nice to have a bit of tarmac in the street."

Mr Beattie says the postman has told him he also believes Churchill Street has more potholes than any other street on his rounds.

"A postie is a good indicator – they cover a lot of ground," said Mr Beattie, who has owned the garage for 18 months. "I can't think of anywhere worse than here either."

Mr Beattie fears the potholes may put off customers.

He said: "I'm just flattered I still have some customers willing to travel down the road.

"You can only go a few miles an hour – the surface is that bad. Try travelling any faster and you would risk damage to your car."

Mr Beattie believes the poor condition of the road has been reported.

"As far I know, my landlord has complained to the council on numerous occasions about the condition of the road, but as you can see it's still pretty bad."

Graham Hall, Hull City Council's assistant of head of service for transport and asset management, said the street has been inspected.

He said: "Highways inspectors have visited Churchill Street and identified it as an area that has failed our intervention levels and is in need of repair. Due to the condition of the road surface it needs reconstructing, rather the normal pothole repairs.

"To allow us to arrange an appropriate long-term solution, temporary repairs will be completed by May 31.

"Our funding for this year is already fully committed on other important maintenance works across the city, however we will explore the possibility of obtaining additional funding for situations such as this.

"We are committed to spending £2m this year on permanent carriageway repairs and carrying out about 600 reactive repairs a month to ensure our roads are safe for motorists and other road users."

Earlier this year, Councillor Martin Mancey, the portfolio holder in charge of Hull's roads, admitted there is a £50m backlog of repairs.

He said the local authority's highways department would need another £5m a year to even begin to restore the roads to a condition he believes motorists have the right to expect.