A ‘DANGEROUS’ pothole that has been plaguing road users in Hatch Warren has yet to be repaired, months after it was first reported.

The six-inch-deep pothole, which is around a drain opposite the Portsmouth Arms in Cliddesden Lane, was first spotted by resident Spencer Cleary on April 17.

Mr Cleary said: “I was driving on the road when I saw a cyclist swerve into the middle of the road to avoid something, which I saw was this pothole.”

After that, he reported to Hampshire County Council (HCC) via its website that the pothole was there, and it was said that it would be dealt with.

However, after seeing a similar incident on July 30, Mr Cleary discovered that while white paint had been put round it, there had been no repairs done on the hole. After informing HCC that the pothole was still there, the enquiry was re-opened as an ‘emergency.’

On August 17, there had still been no work done. The council informed him that the contractor had been paid to carry out the work and would be going to check it out again.

As of Tuesday, the pothole is still there.

Mr Cleary said: “I’ve reported it three times and still nothing has been done about it. They say they have paid the contractor twice for this work and I’m not sure why. And if this is the case, why were they so happy to pay again?

“The taxpayer is being ripped off and I am very angry and frustrated with this. I’ve been given lip service about the action, and it could lead to an accident.

“We get lots of cyclists round here and they don’t need a six-inch deep pothole in road, especially at night or when it is dark. I may have only seen two incidents, but how many times has this happened?

“It feels like HCC are not taking this seriously enough.”

Councillor Rob Humby, executive member for Environment and Transport at Hampshire County Council, said: “I can confirm that our highways teams are dealing with this reported pothole.

"When we are made aware of defects on the roads, either from reports from residents or regular inspections by our own highways teams, these go into our repair programme, for prioritisation. Emergency defects are made safe within two hours – this may initially be a temporary repair while permanent repairs are organised.

"Other non-emergency defects become part of the regular maintenance programme, and may be included in larger maintenance projects to be carried out at a later date.

"The contractor is never paid twice to do the same job – this particular defect has been made safe and will be permanently repaired in due course.

"While I appreciate it is disappointing that our teams are not able to repair highway defects as quickly as I know some people would like, we are committed to keeping Hampshire’s highways safe for all those who use them.

"With nearly 5,500 miles of road to look after and increasing pressures on councils’ budgets, we are using our resources as efficiently and effectively as we can.”