"Dangerous craters" on Herefordshire road leave locals in fear

"DANGEROUS craters" littering a Herefordshire road are so severe that emergency services might not be able to reach homes in the area, locals fear.

John Williams, who has lived on Leaping Stocks Road on the Great Doward for his entire life, said: “I can honestly say it is in the worst state of repair I have seen for many years. Approximately five years ago I had to have an ambulance for a suspected heart attack and even then, the ambulance driver said that the state of the road would greatly delay the response time for any emergency vehicles. Since then, it’s become worse.”

Sam Bevan, who lives on the same road, said: “The road is strewn with dangerous craters. It is only a matter of time before an emergency vehicle is unable to pass.”

Some of the damage to Leaping Stocks Road in Herefordshire (Image: Sam Bevan)

Samantha Hickton, another local, added: “I have a disabled parent who is a wheelchair user, and I am unable to take her out for a walk as we are unable to use the lane anymore when she comes to visit. If we ever need to ask emergency services for help, they will currently struggle to access properties in a timely manner.”

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She also emphasised the responsibility of the council to fix the road: “I understand the council have limited resources and finances are stretched but as the road is a byway, they do have a duty of care and a responsibility to enable access to be kept so us, the residents, can access our properties and be kept safe if necessary.

“The potholes are very deep, and my alloy wheels are now damaged from them. Even driving carefully, you are unable to avoid them now as there is no way to drive around them now and it’s also hard to reverse for other lane users. I’m also missing out on deliveries by companies as they say they are unable to access my property.”

Diana Lerego said that even her Land Rover couldn’t cope with the potholes. She said: “I drive very slowly in and out of the holes, but I’ve had to have lots of work done and my local Land Rover dealers have said these things shouldn’t be failing at this point in its life.”

Gill Suttle also drives a Land Rover and said: “I often drive along the bad bits, with worn springs, hard tyres, and little padding.”

A council spokesperson said: “The road is classified as a byway open to all traffic and is part of the right-of-way network. The council is aware of local concerns and will undertake works to repair the defective areas. We are waiting for a commencement date which we will share shortly.”