Wield villagers tell how potholes damaged eight cars heading for a wedding

A slalom around hidden hazards is greeting motorists trying to negotiate a stretch of Hampshire road that villagers have dubbed Pothole Alley.
Potholes in the road leading from Wield to Medstead have damaged more than 40 cars in the last three months, with locals resorting to their own methods to highlight the dangers.
Wield resident Claire Pay said: “The potholes are deep, dangerous and cover almost the entire width of the road. When it rains they fill with water, so drivers hit them at full force with no warning. One lady hosting her daughter’s wedding had eight guests damage their cars trying to reach the village.
“The road is now so bad that residents have pooled money to buy and install their own warning signs to protect non-locals, and we’ve accumulated traffic cones to drop in the holes. It’s like a slalom course now.”
Villager Rob Cooper added: “It’s not just the potholes. The road has no base to it, it’s just an old cart track with layer upon layer of tarmac on top, so the edges are falling away and it’s dangerous to move to the side to let another car pass.”
A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council 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.
“It is important to remind people that our highways team looks after more than 5,500 miles of roads and over 4,200 miles of footways across the county.
“Road maintenance continues to be a top priority, and we know it is a key concern for road users. So far this financial year we’ve repaired in excess of 62,000 highway defects, including potholes, investing £55.9 million in Hampshire’s road network.”