Pothole ‘badly’ fixed after it became tourist attraction on TripAdvisor

Residents of a town in Devon are furious due to a huge pothole being “badly” fixed after it became a listed tourist attraction on TripAdvisor.

Locals in Totnes took to the review site after they became fed up with what they dubbed “the UK’s version of the Grand Canyon” outside their local Morrisons supermarket.

The listing ranked in the top 50 things to do in Totnes before it was removed last week, and the campaign appeared to have been successful when the council was seen filling in the hole – which has been there for months – on Friday evening.

But people claimed the repair “was not done properly” and was an attempt to appease the online criticism, and are calling for the council to return to redo the job.

“We’ve had a minor victory in Totnes getting a quick patch up to a big pothole in town by getting it listed on Trip Advisor as a local attraction,” local resident Matthew Jee told The Independent. “It’s not a proper job though, and frankly a mere PR exercise and waste of money.”

He said that within a day of the TripAdvisor page being covered by local media, the council had taken action – but labelled it as a “quick, cheap and messy” repair job and a “waste of taxpayer funds”.

He said: “They have not even dug out the edges to make sure the tarmac they poured will grip.”

The repair came around after locals coordinated in a local Facebook group to discuss the best way to finally get the council’s attention.

After deciding to register the pothole as a local landmark, gleaming reviews soon came pouring in for the “Morrisons pothole Totnes” on TripAdvisor.

One sightseer wrote: “Fantastic how over millions of years these beautiful craters in the earth form. I’ve seen canyons around the world and this has got to be my favourite so far! Brilliant day out, will be coming again. The nearby Morrisons café is alright and there is parking available.”

Another said: “I took a group of friends here for a day out. It was a sight to behold. Arizona has the Grand Canyon, Australia has Uluru, and Zambia has the Victoria Falls, but Totnes has the Great Morrisons Pothole.”

Some residents claimed they suffered damage to their cars from the pothole, which is said to have worsened in the last six months. One person said that the hole cost him £96 for a new tyre, while another blamed it for his vehicle’s failed suspension.

Locals seemed optimistic on Friday evening when they spotted the repairs taking place.

However, they were underwhelmed by the result of the repairs – with many calling it a “bodge job” and asking the council to return.

A Devon County Council spokesperson said the fix was temporary, writing in a statement: “This repair was the result of our reactive emergency procedure. This defect needed urgent attention to ensure it was made safe.

“The immediate surrounding area will require a larger machine-laid patch to prevent further deterioration. This will be delivered as soon as we are able.”