Residents of a leafy street in Beckenham, where homes are valued at £800,000, are up in arms over massive puddles forming in potholes on their road.
The situation has become so dire that locals fear for children’s safety, comparing the street’s condition to that of a “warzone”.
Westgate Road, which has been plagued by this issue for several years, is now home to what residents describe as a series of “ponds”.
The problem is exacerbated by parents dropping off their children at a nearby school, causing even larger pools of water on the unpaved surface.
Residents of a leafy street in Beckenham are up in arms over massive puddles forming in potholes (not pictured) on their road
Flickr/Google Street View
The situation has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to cars, with even ambulances and delivery drivers struggling to navigate the treacherous road.
Residents are locked in a battle with the local council over responsibility for Westgate Road, which is unadopted.
Care worker June Kirby, 80, told the Daily Mail: “It’s no man’s land. Nobody takes any responsibility for it. It’s shocking.”
Ryan Drinkwater, 45, expressed grave concerns: “The puddles are enormous. If a child got trapped in there they would soon die. It’s atrocious.”
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Labour pledged to repair one million more potholes per year in its manifesto (stock image)
PA
Retired civil servant Irene Tandy, 65, added: “A child could easily die in one of them. It’s awful.”
The complex situation regarding road maintenance has left residents frustrated.
Bromley Council, as the highways authority, has no obligation to maintain the unadopted Westgate Road. Lewisham Council owns a portion of it, further complicating matters.
Residents believe the school traffic is a major contributor to the road’s deterioration.
Melanie Packwood, 74, explained: “I actually find that when I invite people over I say to them, ‘Please, park on one of the roads and walk the rest of the way in your oldest clothes and welly boots’, because you don’t want the problem of washing mud off.”
There are an estimated 11 million potholes on UK roads (stock image)
GETTY
Packwood noted that residents previously contributed to road maintenance, but many stopped after the council and school paused their payments. She added that school traffic increased significantly in the 1990s when it expanded.
Robin Hoyles, Chair of Governors for St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Beckenham, responded to the situation: “The school has actively engaged with residents, councillors and members of the council’s highways department for many years and continues to do so.”
He added: “The school is a publicly funded body with statutory duties to use the money it receives for the education of children. The school made a financial contribution when the road was last repaired in 2018 and has offered a similar contribution on several occasions recently.”