Vigo Road in Andover not repaired properly after potholes

Potholes on Vigo Road in Andover have been highlighted by resident Paul Bevan and Test Valley Borough Council Councillor Iris Andersen as they warned that ongoing issues are causing danger to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Paul Bevan, a resident of Vigo Road, said the road has deteriorated significantly and described it as “an accident waiting to happen”.

Potholes on Vigo Road (Image: Paul Bevan)

He explained that the worst affected area begins near the roundabout by Vigo Road Park and stretches along the road, which serves several local schools.

He said: “The road is getting more and more dangerous, Vigo Road is terrible, the thing is the potholes start from the roundabout where the Vigo Road park is essentially.”

“The history of it is that they’ve never repaired it properly as they have just done temporary work on it and then eventually the problem comes back.”

Mr Bevan first noticed the extent of the damage while travelling over Christmas and said the poor condition poses particular risks due to traffic levels.

He said: “Vigo Road is a very busy road with the schools on it, so it opens the door for accidents and can lead to some very serious incidents with cyclists."

In response, a spokesperson for Hampshire County Council (HCC) said all reported potholes are assessed and prioritised based on safety risk.

The spokesperson said: “All potholes and road defects identified through routine inspections or reported online are assessed by our highways team and we always prioritise issues that are deemed a safety risk, particularly on busier roads."

Potholes on Vigo Road (Image: Paul Bevan)

They added that residents can track repair progress online and highlighted the scale of the council’s responsibilities. “Our Highways team looks after more than 5,500 miles of road and over 4,200 miles of footways across the county,” the spokesperson said, noting that £55.9 million has been invested this financial year, with more than 62,000 highway defects repaired so far.

Town councillor Iris Andersen also voiced frustration, calling for more permanent solutions.

She said: “Come on HCC please do the work properly we do deserve that everybody does, as you can see the road doesn’t look very good anyway, it’s a very busy road.”

She added that while winter conditions make repairs difficult, many roads in Andover require resurfacing.

She said: “I fully understand with all the frost and snow we’ve had they can’t mend potholes but they can do a better job in the first place."